European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 26, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 18 the stars and stripes thursday March 26, 1992money matters the Pentagon has awarded contracts totalling $508 million to Raythelon co. And Hughes aircraft co. To produce 991 advanced medium Range air to air missiles or am rams. Raythelon of Lexington mass., was awarded a $255 million contract to produce 490 of the missiles while los Angeles based Hughes received a $253 million pact for 401 of the missiles. It was the sixth lot of the missiles to be awarded since the Early 1980s. The two defense contractors Are the Only producers of the weapon a radar guided missile with a a launch and leave capability that enables a Pilot to fire several missiles against targets then leave the area. Raythelon said it will perform the work scheduled to be completed by november 1994, at its Plant in Lowell  rates London up wednesdays rates for the . Dollar to other currencies. Figures Are expressed in dollars to the British Pound other local currencies in dollars Gold was quoted at �341.50 an ounce Silver at $4.12. March 24 March 25 British Pound.1.71935 1.73175 German mark.1.6675 1.6540 French franc .5.63325 5.62000 Dulch guilder.1.b771 1.8665 belgian franc.34.27 34.03 italian lira.1,251.00 1,247.60 Swiss ranc.1.5125 1.5035 greek drachma.193.20 192.00 turkish lira.6,196.20 6.191.30 saudi arabian riyal.3.7502 3.7502 Spanish peseta.105.07 104.71 portuguese escudo.143.48 142.73 Canadian dollar.1,1905 1.1b90 austrian schilling.11.734 11.681 norwegian krone.6.544 6,511 danish krone.6.475 6.434 these Are commercial rates and can be related Only to the use of foreign currency by . Forces for official business. The Only official rates concerns the Sale of German Marks and British pounds to . Personnel for personal use and these will be 1.61 Marks to a Dollar and $1.77 for a Pound through thursday based on wednesdays noontime  York Exchange new York up York Stock Exchange Stock at at company Glaxo holdings Amer express co Tel Fonos de my ism corp Boeing co blockbuster ent Rwjr Nabisco hid ban America Chrysler corp Ford motor co get corp Colagra inc Philip Morns Dupont 6 co a the 15 most Active stocks in new i tuesday. Slid Lait no Chol. 7,711,000 40 off i 3,028,700 2bvi up 2,615,400 23 up Oft i 1.866,500 58 1,833,300 85 m 0 1% 1,460,100 43v6 off Vuk 1,456,800 14% 0f�% 1.455,200 9% off vhf 1,411,000 44% 0 1% 1,392.200 17% off % 1,361,400 39 off 1 1,281,400 3qvi unch 1,280,400 28 up % Oft i 1,273,500 76% 1.214.000 47% up american Exchange new York of american Stock taxi Slock Chambers Dev a am medical bldg Alza corp Echo Bay mines inti Corona Amdahl corp fruit of loom prel hath care us Bio science new York time a a the 10 most Active stocks in Ange composite trading tuesday. Salet Lill Nat chg. 1,095,600 10 0 1 % 747,000 9% unch 498,500 44 Oil % 347,700 6% off % 324,800 3% �11 % 323,200 16% off % 294,000 36% up % 289,200 12% Oft i 289.000 15 off % 277,500 31% unch Dow Jones new York up Dow Jones closing Range of averages tuesday High Low 30 industrials 3296 96 3242 84 20 transport 1423 77 1390 70 15 utilities 206 62 204.87 65 stocks 1185 1 2 1164 48 change 18 close 3260 96 oi111 1397 06 011 19 99 205 43 unch 1170.21 off 725 Kohl sets stage for showdown on International Trade issues by the new York times Bonn Germany a Chancellor Helmut Kohl is spending this week preparing other european leaders for what May be a final showdown in the efforts of 108 nations to reach an International Trade agreement. In weekend talks with president Bush at Camp David md., Kohl presented european positions on issues blocking the talks of the general agreement on tariffs and Trade or Gatt. He returned to Germany without any american concessions. A we made Progress but in no Way did we reach our main goal a Kohl said in Bonn on monday. Kohl said All parties to the talks Are determined to reach a Compromise before the end of april producing an agreement that would reduce barriers to global free Trade. If there is no agreement by then he warned Trade issues could dominate the july Summit of the group of seven Industrial nations and other pressing issues would be pushed aside. In Telephone consultations this week aides said Kohl will seek to impress european leaders with the urgency of the april deadline. The current round of talks began in Uruguay More than five years ago and the pact was to have been signed in 1991. Kohl is seeking a formula to resolve fundamental disagreements Over farm subsidies. American leaders say they will not sign the Trade agreement unless it includes commitments from european countries to Cut their subsidies which Lead to lower prices for european products and undercut american exports. But european leaders especially French president Francois Mitterrand protest that a result of cutting subsidies will be the destruction of a productive and valuable social class. Kohls chances for Success in forging a Compromise on the Trade pact Are limited. Partly for Domestic political reasons Nei ther Bush nor Mitterrand appears ready to Compromise. In comments after his return to Bonn Kohl said poor third world countries have the most to lose if the talks collapse. The benefits those countries would enjoy under a system of free world Trade he said would exceed All the foreign Aid they now receive. But protectionist Laws in various countries which would be reduced by a Trade agreement also Hurt Large Industrial exporters such As the United states and Germany. Part of Germany a concern for free Trade stems from its special relationship with the states of Eastern Europe and the former soviet Union. Germany has provided those states with More Aid than All other Western donors combined and Hopes to reduce its future Burden by helping them develop successful Export industries. I the Best cars of 1992 \ la j Here is a list of the Best 1992 cars As evaluated by consumer reports on the basis of safety performance reliability and Price. Next to the cars Are their Price ranges. Best Small car Acura integral $12,350-$18,200 Best sporty car Mazda my 6, $13,450-$ 18,750 Best compact car Mitsubishi galant $11,700-$22,500 Best midsize car under $25,000 Toyota camry $14,350-$20,500 Best midsize car Over $25,000 lexus ls400, $42,200 Best big car Pontiac Bonneville $18,600-$28,050 Best Small Van Toyota Previn $16,500-$26,100 Best sport Utility vehicle Nissan Pathfinder $17,250-25,300 a amps japanese cars head list of Magazine s Best buys new York a consumer reports is telling Auto shoppers they should ignore a buy american sales hype because car manufacturing is a global Industry but the magazines rankings of Best buys also show japanese brands dominate. A in reality what is an a american car a the Magazine asked in the april Issue. A fall the Domestic manufacturers stamp their own Brand names on some cars made abroad and some build a Domestic cars in Mexico and  at the same time the Magazine said the major japanese makers assemble their Best Selling models such As the Honda Accord and Toyota camry in . Plants. Still a Reading of consumer reports evaluations of 1992 models shows that japanese nameplates generally deliver the Best value based on the magazines criteria of safety performance reliability and Price. Among Small cars for example the Acura integral led in the Overall score ahead of the Mazda protege Mazda 323, Toyota Corolla Geo prize Saturn Mercury tracer and Ford escort. In the sporty car category the Mazda mx-6 led in the Overall score among compact cars the Mitsubishi galant led among midsize cars costing More than $25,000, the lexus ls400 led among midsize cars under $25,000, Toyota camry led with Nissan Maxima Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable close  experts urge plan for Quick Access to assets by the Washington Post ask a financial planner How much Cash you should have on hand to see you through an emergency and the Likely answer is enough to cover three to six months Worth of living expenses. But for a great Many people that is ridiculous. Think of it this Way if a family has an after tax income of $20,000 a year and spends All of it it needs $7,000 to $10,000 in Cash to meet expenses for a Quarter to half a year. But if the family spends All its income How is it supposed to save $7,000? a growing number of advisers Are abandoning the Standard formula and encouraging individuals and families to Structure their assets so they can get at them in an emergency a without insisting that they set aside so much Cash. William g. Brennan of the accounting firm Ernst amp Young and other planners advise families to continue to look toward their Long term goals such As educating their children. At the same time they should look Over their situation carefully going through some a what if exercises to determine How bad things would be if one or More income earners lost their jobs. There Are Many variables said Alexandra Armstrong of Armstrong Welch and Macintyre inc., a financial planning firm in Washington. Are you the Only wage earner if your spouse has a Job How stable is it what Are your expenses in relation to your income if you lost your Job How Tough would it be to find another one the next step is to look Over the assets you have to see How hard it would be to turn them into spendable Cash. In addition to Cash savings do you have other investments such As Mutual fund shares that could be sold the goal is to have enough Money where you can get at it to last you for As Long As you would reasonably expect to be out of work if you lost your Job. Business Nestle wins bid Battle against italians for Perrier from wire reports Paris a Nestle a won its three month Battle for source Perrier a by sweetening its offer for the famed Mineral water company to $2.6 billion and forcing Italy Sagnelli family to drop a competing bid. With Perrier in its portfolio Switzerland based nestl6, the worlds largest food company becomes a dominant Force in every major Mineral water Market including the United states and Western  pay raises drop Tokyo a Japan a biggest companies offered their employees the lowest increase in wages in four years. Officials at the japanese Trade Union confederation said wednesday that management at Japan a Auto electric steel and heavy machinery companies have offered to raise wages by an average of about 4.8 percent the first time wage increases have averaged less than 5 percent since 1988. Economists said this years raises were generally in line with or better than expectations particularly when the recent poor state of the Economy is considered. The figure compares with the 5.65 percent wage increase offered last year