European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 2, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The stars and St Lopes business news by Randy Mccain some traders say Dollar May top 1.90 Marks hints of How High the Western world s seven major industrialized nations Are willing to let the Dollar Rise May surface in Washingion this week end during meetings of the International Mone tary fund and world Bank. The so called group of seven nations he United Stales Japan West Germany great Itri Tain France. Canada and Italy Are Meel Inin conjunction with the if session and the Liming for their get together could t be belter. The g-7 economic leaders arc suddenly racing a resilient Dollar on world currency markets and prospects Are Good hat the Buck could move Mio a Roni Isiemay higher trading Range above , -. Spurred on by High interest rates in the , the Greenback flirted with the 1.90 level throughout the past five trading Days. ,. Only to be driven Back at week s end by concerted intervention on the part of the . Federal Reserve West Germany s Bundesbank and Al least eight other european can. Ira Banks. Still some foreign Lachange traders in Europe say the Battle for a stronger Dollar is nol Over. A Tot depends on the g-7," said Gunter Tafich. A foreign Exchange specialist with the Dank of Boston in Frankfurt West Germany if. They meet and Don t say anything about the Dol Lar s recent upward mobility in will  by traders As a signal that an even stronger Buck would be tolerated. Or if word of impending interest rate1hikes in the United Stales leak i out of the meeting that Loo could Ira d to a stronger Dollar.  other possibility of course is that the g 7 will talk Tough in an at crypt to put a lid on the Greenback nations such As West Germany and Japan fear a stronger Dollar because it increases he Price of goods they import from the United Stales and thai fuels inflation. In the past week the g-7 not Only did some serious talking the Bank of Japan for exam pie. Uitz at midweek that the Dollar s run up had been overdone in its opinion but several member nations also sold dollars on world markets to drive the Buck lower -. Flooding the Market with an excess Supply of dollars lends to deflate the currency s value. Still currency traders  willing to lest cent Ai Bankers resolve their  Day was tuesday when trading in Europe had just reopened after a Long easter Holiday.  went up that dayfr6m the previous. We Cli s close of \ $66 5 West German Marks for a Dollar to 1,8953 Marks later in the week the Dollar briefly topped 1.90 and then was driven Back. It was trading Al midday Friday in the neighbourhood of 1.89 20 Marks the military Exchange rate Aiso went up on the. W cd after starting at 1.84 Marks for a Dol Lar the Buck s value was set late Friday by Mili Lary banking official ,87. Marks. That rate will apply to Community Bank transactions at to St through monday. Titch. For one. Thinks the Dollar has a Good claim c of gelling above l90 and staying there Ini he week ahead. He does t look for a bold leap Forward but desc Days Ever pfennig counts. Think the . Federal Reserve is serious about nut idling the Dollar go up Loo High but 1 Sec i.9l Marks As possible this week Teich said. Some other traders arc even More optimistic. Talk of a new fading Range Between 1.92 Marks and 1.94 Marks per Dollar dotted published re ports in inc economic press at week s end. Do Sun he trip a Rumstein commissary Mirror plan reflects concern for customers by Deedee Arrington  Bureau Ramstein a West Germany keep an Eye on the Wall bordering inc Niaz like checkout queuing area Al Ramstein s base commissary. It a be naked now but it is soon to be covered by Large mirrors suitable for primping in As Well As for distracting customers from the in nigh of the line they re waning in. ,. It s a great Experiment chuckled col. Terry Fowler commander of the air Force commissary service s european Region. Ill bet you our complaints about lines go Downto  the Only military commissary to operate 24 hours Aday the rams ctn store is a microcosm of changes under Way in the air Force food store system overseas and the military s concept of customer service. By adding such features As in Storc pizza Bak Crici and atrium seating for Dell lunches both planned for Ramstein future air Force commissaries eventually May More closely resemble superstores in the United states than the traditional no frills military grocery. Store. /  at Ramstein such As expanded hours eventually willbe added at other air Force commissaries in Europe but Only where they la work Fowler said an army commissary spokesman said that Branch of the service has no plans for 24-hour grocery sales other alterations planned for the air Force s euro Pean commissary system tackle Jess flashy issues Suchias How Stock is channelled to Mediterranean stores and How to a fact Hall hic foods to shoppers. Fowler who assumed command in Europe last sum Mer said a new centralized management office is to be added Al Aviano a Ilay to streamline operations in inc Mcd and to help curb problems with out of Siock . He said Lic new scup should help in terms of  and shipping Stock and overcoming what he termed significant customs problems in the Region. We weren t putting enough management emphasis on the stores Down there Fowler said of commissaries in Greece Italy and Spain. In Turkey we Cut the order and shipment Lime from Between 140 and Iso Days to Between 3 5 and go Days. If we can do that with Turkey we should be Able to do that with the rest of the Mediterranean Fowler said adding that the pro Cess could Lake As much As a year. Improved service to Turkey was achieved by electronically linking the commissaries there with the de sense data network a computer system that has mad ordering merchandise easier. Fowler said. In Turkey management of air Force commissaries will shift Bier this year from private contractors to the air Force. The move follows recent congressional action that prohibits contractors from holding manage ment or procurement responsibilities Al military commissaries. -. We Don t foresee any great changes Fowler Saidof the shift except we May see a better in Stock rate and a better selection of  reflecting growing consumer interest in eating heal Thier foods air Force commissary officials also have asked their Deli suppliers to provide products with less Salt and fat the results Are showing up on the shelves in the form of leaner meats and More Turkey products Fowler said. V v. A brochure in English explaining inc contents of each Deli product is in the works. Fowler said. What Consumers care about Mast is whal they can buy on the blare floor. And in the Case of Kam Stcin How late they can shop. "11 s going Gangu slurs Fowler said of the 24-hour operation at the air Force s biggest store late evening and Early morning sales Are averaging $35,000 a Day and commissary officials have at times had difficulty keeping some High demand merchandise such  diapers in Slock. ,. Everyone should have this problem More custom cars than they can Deal Wilh Fowler said. Spica i by re spin so Bie m Utu is Are no longer just for liberals by Brian Rooney up Basinais writer san Francisco Mutual funds thai rate company s social record As Well As its financial performance Are making the transition from left Wing . ,.started in the 1930s by religious groups concerned about alcohol tobacco and gambling socially respond  Mutual funds have grown to cover a variety of cause from South Africa to women s rights nuclear weapons and inc Environ menu. The funds Are part of a growing movement  responsible investing. -. R Drivers can now charge a tank of Gas of it Ceil cards that donate Money to the Cuvir monent. Grocery shoppers can consult a pocket guide to Sec which sugar Roatch Cere alias Thebes record on minority advancement. But socially responsible Mutual funds Are no longer solely far liberals who Don t mind getting a lower re turn on their dollars in Exchange forgoing some  the last year the funds have shown critics they can fatten an investor s Wallet Al the same time they Case his or her conscience. The amount of Money invested using social criteria has skyrocketed from $40 billion in 1984 to $450 big lion in i9ss, according to Gordon Davidson executive director of the social investment forum. Major stack brokerages now employ specialists in1 socially responsible inc Semi he Davidson said the aging of the generation thai protested the Viet Nam. War has fuelled the growth of the movement activists who once scorned the Slock Market As a capitalist Snak pit arc turning to socially responsible funds As a Way to reap inc benefits of a Bull Market without sacrificing their social values we Tell Copl that his is not a Charity said Cindy Chin vice president of the Civ in social in vestment fund in Washington. You can make a de cent return with these  one of the most progressive of the social funds these .5 Mill Ion Parnassus fund of san Francisco was fit third Best performing Mutual fund in the country last year Wilh a 42.a Pyrc Clit total return according to upper analytical services inc. Of Summit . Another fund Ariel growth chalked up a 40 percent return compared with a 15 percent return for the Standard & poor 300 and a 14-5 percent return for All general equity funds according to  alternatives which invests in alternative Energy companies was the lop ranked natural resources1 fund with a 13.9 percent return theocia investment forum a Rade group recognizes six groups of socially responsible Mutual funds with a total of 12 funds last year the funds averaged a 20.2 percent total return. The funds vary in the criteria they use to judge a com Pany. Some such As Pioneer funds of Boston Are Primar ily concerned with alcohol tobacco and gambling. Others including Parnassus also review a company s record on South Africa employee relations the environment weapons contracts and nuclear Energy. Critics have argued that such restrictions hamper a fund Sab lit to get the most for its Money. It really depends on How much you take on said Kurt Brouwer a Sari Francisco investment adviser an author of Mutual fund How up invest with the from aftera while you really Start to limit your universe but Jerome Podson a or manager of the Parnassus fund argues that a bad social record can show up on a company s Bottom line " a company thai treats its employees badly will lose key people and run the risk of Tabor trouble he said. Company with a bad pollution record May have to fight lawsuits by environmental  is one of inc founders of inc modern social investment movement. In the 1970s, he started a solar t Cill with Continental savings and loan in California later he founded working assets a Money Market fund. Socially responsible Mutual funds took off in the Early 1980s, when concerned investors began pulling their Money out of companies with lies to racially segregated South Africa. The financial protests against apartheid helped bring Large institutions such As universities and employee pension funds into a movement that had been dominated by individual investors