European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 25, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Money matters sales of cars and Light trucks built in North America Rose 10.3 percent in mid april Over the year earlier period when sales were depressed Auto makers reported thursday. Light truck sales increased 18.6 percent based on an average daily Selling rate to 110,612 in the april 11-20 period. Car sales Rose  percent to 154,818. There were eight Selling Days in mid april compared with nine a year earlier. Tom Webb chief economist with the National automobile dealers association said that in Light of rising employment rates and other factors Auto sales should be better than what they Are. If sales do not improve he warned it will a bring the recovery to a  conversion rates London Orpi fridays rates for the . Dollar to other currencies. Figures Are expressed in dollars to the British Pound other local currencies in dollars gom was quoted at $336.55 an ounce liter at $3.98. Part 23 april 24 British Pound.77699 17735 gtmmnmrk.1.6600 1.6505 5.6185 5.5773 outehoumar.1.6736 1.8676 18s08 site Ahac �?�15  .-.-.194.40 193.00 to heft .6.3.70 6.511.90 saudi Anft ten Rtyal----------------------.37496 3.7495 spite Paana .-.104.29 103.77 14124 140.04 1.1860 1.1660 1ssssseeeeb. 3a these Are commercial rates and can be related Only to the use of foreign currency by . Forces for official business. The Only official rate concerns the Sale of British pounds and German Marks to . Personnel for personal use. Through monday these will be $1.85 for a Pound and 1.61 Marks to a Dollar based on a Price fixing Friday afternoon at military banking facilities. New York Exchange we York Orpi tha 15 most cow docks in new Yak Slock each fangs compos la trading on thursday. Taw holdings Rwjr Nabisco hid Johnson Johnsn Mega moloch Bristol i co Amor Ganral Ford motor co chass Manhattan Bank of Boston stat company Merck co inc ban Amarica 7.357.000 4.196.900 3.994.000 3.264.200 2.992.200 2.872.600 2,655,500 2.619.900 2.518.000 2.496.400 2.159.400 2.066.900 2,059,700 1.968.900 1.962.600 it Nucko. 25ft off it 9ft unch 90ft off 2ft 24 off 1ft 73 upyt 19ft 19 up it Offut 23ft upyt 42ft upyt 44ft up 1ft 26ft upyt 20ft upyt 43ft Offut 139ft off 2ft 46ft Offut american Exchange 936.500 756,700 716.600 470.200 354.600 353.500 346.200 343,000 221,300 219,100 new York aim Tea 10 most Acoss Stock in Amer ice Stock Exchange composite trading thursday. Stock fruit of loom Wano labs inc b Tea corp Chambers Dev a Western digital Aiza corp Alpha Inaus trs Hasbro inc so holdings it instrument sys 36ft 4ft 25v4 8ft 4 4m 3ft 25ft 5 6ft net chg. Up it Offut Offut off it up it off 1ft up it up it unch off it Dow Jones new York up a Dow Jones doting Range of avenges thursday 30 industrials 20 transport 15 utilities 65 stocks High 3376.34 1381.73 209.13 119297 Low 3298.52 1339.69 20625 1164 39 close 3348.61 1375.75 208.38 1185 21 up 9.8 up 32.14 up 0 57 up 10.39 . Eases Export restrictions on some High tech products by Terence Hunt the associated press Washington president Bush on thursday further relaxed cold War Trade restrictions on High technology exports and derided the a Flat Earth mentality of opponents of his drive to reduce global Trade barriers. A when we lift barriers to economic Freedom within and among our countries we unleash powerful forces of growth and creativity a Bush said. Bush made his comments in a speech to the Council of the americas a hemispheric Trade and business group. Hours earlier the Commerce department announced an easing of Trade restrictions on computers and other products to Western Europe Japan and Australia covering up to $3 billion annually in foreign sales. Bush defended his Campaign to bring Mexico into a Tariff free Trade Alliance with the United states and Canada. A we can to achieve this breakthrough by equiv Cating Between the status quo protectionists and the movement for Freedom and change a he said. Trade is a major Issue in the presidential race and Bush has been hammered from All sides of the political spectrum. Bush a conservative challenger for the presidency Patrick j. Buchanan has espoused an a America first policy to Cut foreign Aid and protect american jobs by restricting imports. Bush a Campaign for a free Trade zone with Mexico has been attacked by a coalition of labor consumer and environmental groups on grounds that american firms would move their plants to Mexico where labor costs Are cheaper and environmental standards Are weaker. A you May have heard some suggest that politics will dictate delaying the North american free Trade agreement until after the election a Bush said. President Bash Speaks to the Council of the americas in Washington of thursday. A Well those voices Are not speaking for me. In be instructed our negotiators to accelerate their work. I believe we can conclude a sound sensible Deal before the  Bush said a free Trade area comprising the United states Canada and Mexico would be the largest Market in the world with 360 million Consumers and a $6 trillion Economy. He said american merchandise exports to Mexico have increased by two thirds Over the last three years while exports of autos Auto parts and telecommunications equipment have doubled. A Trade with Mexico already supports hundreds of thousands of . Jobs a he said adding that a North american free Trade Accord would create thousands More. A today we still have to combat the Flat Earth mentality the mindset that urges us to barricade our Borders against Competition to shut off the free Exchange of food and machinery and skills and ideas a he said. The president also criticized Congress saying it had failed to appropriate Money for a $1.5 billion Aid fond for latin America or Fonds for a debt for nature Campaign. In the Campaign the United states would cancel debts owed by foreign countries in return for Steps to improve the environment. The easing of Trade restrictions announced by the Commerce department will permit All computers including supercomputers to be exported to Many european countries without prior approval. Environmental efforts worry Oil producing countries Vienna Austria apr some two dozen Oil producing nations expressed concern late thursday about efforts to limit use of their fuel to ease the threat of global warming. After a Daylong meeting the nations called for extensive studies on the causes and effects of global warming. Earlier open president Jibril amino warned the Oil Industry could come under an a almighty onslaught at june a . Earth Summit in Brazil. Amino who is the nigerian Oil minister said worries about global warming May be motivated More by political than scientific factors. Carbon dioxide emissions a a major byproduct of the burning of Oil and other Fossil fuels a have prompted fears of a possible Rise in the Earth a temperature. The 13-nation organization of Petroleum exporting countries is worried about the push by industrialized countries to restrict the use of Oil in order to fight global warming. Some fear that Western nations Are using the environmental Issue As a Way of cutting Back on Oil and developing alternative Energy sources. The environment meeting sponsored by open was attended by a dozen Independent Oil producers a both Rich and poor. Angola China and Mexico sent representatives As did Norway and Canadas Western province of Alberta. Rick orman albertan a Energy chief said there was a a common producer concerns that the Oil Industry was being unfairly singled out As the culprit in global warming. A there Are other a greenhouse gases that should be examined a he told reporters. Open Secretary general Subroto said reputable scientists differed in their assessment of the change in the worlds climate. He said studies should be undertaken a to reduce the scientific uncertainties about global warming. Business Mcdonald s registers gains in earnings franchise sales from wire reports Oak Brook Iii. A Mcdonald a corp. On thursday reported record first Quarter earnings of $187.4 million or 51 cents a share up 11 percent compared with $168.5 million or 46 cents a share in the opening Quarter of 1991. System wide sales a including sales of franchised and affiliated restaurants a Rose 9 percent to a record $4.91 billion compared with $4.53 billion a year ago. Total Cor Florate revenues were up 4 percent to a record $1.62 bilion compard with $1.5o billion in the 1991 Quarter. Smoking on Rise in Japan Tokyo a smokers in Japan bought a record 328.3 billion cigarettes in fiscal 1991, up 2 percent from a year earlier the tobacco Institute of Japan said. It was the third consecutive year that sales had increased from a year earlier. New procedures paying off new York a american express co. Said thursday its first Quarter profits fell 6 percent before a gain from new accounting procedures As the company spent More to promote its ailing credit card and travel business. The company benefited from Strong performances at its financial services brokerage and investment banking and financial data units. The company was Hurt last year by the recession and problems with its credit card operations. Overall american express reported net income of $465 million or 95 cents per share in the first three months of 1992. But that included a gain of $216 million from the adoption of new financial accounting standards on Jan. 1