European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 03, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday february 1993 Money matters the stars and stripes Page 13 today s rates following Are fixed rates at which Community banking and credit Union facilities will sell for eign currencies to . Personnel for personal use German Mark. 1.59 British Pound 1.49 dutch Guilder. 1.78 greek drachma 207.0032 Noto the rates above apply within the Host. Country. Figures Aro expressed in dollars to the British Pound other currencies to the Dollar following arc Interbank rates that fluctuate and should be regarded As the approximate value of the . Dollar to foreign Curren Cie italian lira .1,511.75 turkish lira 8,881.00 Spanish peseta 115.65 portuguese escudo 147.03 austrian Schilling 11.47 saudi rial. 3.7495 Bahrain Dinar 0.37675 Kuwait Dinar 0.3072 norwegian Krone 6.922 danish krone6.2795 British Pound 1.4635 German Mark 1.6305 Swiss franc 1.5095 French franc 5.514 dutch Guilder. 1.8321 belgian franc .33.60 Canadian Dollar. 1.2637 Noto figures Aro expressed in dollars to the British Pound other currencies to the Dollar Gold quota $329.35 an ounce Silver quote $3.67an ounce new York Exchange new York the 15 most Active stocks in new York Stock composite trading on monday. Stock or Nabisco hid Amer express co Motorola inc Glaxo holding Merck & co inc ism Corpt Elefonso de my  time Warner in Philip Morris general motor Citicorp Bristol Myersq Compaq computer Silei 6,889,000 6,630,900 6,540,200 4,344,700 4,279,000 3,036,500 2,933,700 2,733,100 2,659,600 2,279,700 2,239,200 1,944,500 1,931,100 1,892,600 1,888,200 list8% 24v453v4 19v438 it Flipi Exchange it chg. Up up wup2v4 Oft 53h 75 i 38 i 59v4 53ft up 1 of Tup it up Tupi of it american Exchange new York up the 10 most Active stocks i american Stock Exchange composite trading monday. Slock sign list Nucho Wang labs inc b 6,511.400 a Offutt Elsinore corp 1,600.400 3 up Hll Haven corp 746,000 4 unch Bell Well Sivc 652,700 11% up citizens St be 412,100 5v up Amdahl corp 398,000 8h unc conversion ind 361,300 14h Oft a Bergen Brunswig 343,400 23v4 up fruit of loom 318,700 44vi putt Royalo amines .309,100 .111-18 unch Dow Jones new York up Dow Jones closing Range of aver Ages monday High Low Clou chinos 30 industrials 3343.80 3300.30 3332.18 up 22.1520transport 1524.35 1500.17 1517.50 up 11.08 15 utilities 228.78 225.78 228.28 up 1.6965 stocks. 1238,93 1221.66 1234.47 up 8.61 health charge to propel loss at pm to $23.5 billion in 92 by the new York times general motors corp., acknowledging that it faces monumental expenses Over the next 20 years for Retiree health care benefits said monday that it was taking a $20,8 billion after tax charge against 1992 earnings. \ the accounting adjustment Means that pm will Post a net loss of about $23.5 Bil lion for 1992, far exceeding the american corporate record loss of $4.97 billion that ism set last week. Pm is the biggest of the nation s old line Industrial companies to comply with accounting rules that arc forcing Compa Nies to subtract enormous future health care liabilities from their net Worth on a positive note pm also said re cent efforts to control operating costs in its troubled North american automotive business apparently were working. We continue to be encouraged. By recent trends in our North american operations g. Richard Wagoner the chief financial officer said in a statement. The company continues to forecast a break even financial performance in 1993 before interest taxes and health care a , he said. The announcements followed a meet ing of the pm Board at. The automaker s proving grounds in Mesa Ariz. Pm also said it would take a one time after tax charge of $744 million in the fourth Quarter related to its 81 percent stake in National car rental system inc., More than double the $300 million write off the automaker estimated in novem Ber. Pm said the discrepancy relates primarily to the write off of Good will on the books of National car  pm is trying to turn around the unprofitable car rental operation. The Board also raised the quarterly dividend on pm s class e Stock by 11 percent to 10 cents a share from 9 cents. A spokesman said the increase was based on improved profits at its electronic data systems corp. Subsidiary. The corporation also elected two new directors to its Board or. Louis w. Sullivan Secretary of health and human services in the Bush administration and John ii. Bryan the chairman and chief executive of Sara Lee corp. Sullivan 59, also previously served As president of the More House school of Medicine. Bryan 56, became chairman of consolidated foods corp. In 1976 the company changed its name to Sara Lee in 1985. Bills from Page 12 the customer Soliz said. The Only re course for the customer is to stand there and look at their Money before they leave the  acknowledged however that not every Teller will take kindly to customers scrutinizing  tellers get indignant if you stand there in front of them and they say what arc you doing and you say i m looking at my Money to make sure there s not a bad Bill Here " said Soliz who has worked for the Treasury department for 23 years. They feel that they Are sup posed to be the  in fact Soliz said Many tellers have not been trained to detect counterfeit cur  strides in color copier technology have opened the Way for what heteros casual  to head them off two Security features were introduced with 1990 series notes Soliz  feature is a Clear polyester thread imbedded vertically in the Bill to the left of the Federal Reserve Seal. The Bill s denomination is printed on the thread. A $100 Bill for example has Usa 100" printed along the length of the thread. It can be read from either Side when held up to the  other feature is a line of Micro printing around the note s portrait. The repeating words the United states of America can Only be read with magnification and look like a solid line to the naked  new notes which arc available in $50 and $100 denominations eventually will be phased into All denominations except possibly $1 Bills. Soliz suggested that people worried about the authenticity of their . Cur Rency request new Bills and take time to hold them to the Light before accepting  Bank spokesman Frank j. Chundrlik said the new Bills arc no available yet at Community Banks As merchants has problems getting them from the Federal Reserve through Switz  Best Way to examine a Bill is to compare it with a genuine one Soliz said. A Good Bill will have a lifelike distinct portrait a bad one will appear lifeless with details merging into the background according to the Treasury department publication know your Money. The saw toothed Points on the Edge of the Federal Reserve and Treasury seals will be Clear distinct and Sharp on a Good Bill compared with a fake Bill s uneven Blunt or broken Points. The serial numbers on a genuine note will match the color of the Treasury Seal have a distinctive style and be evenly spaced. The Fine Lack like lines in the Bills Bor Der will be Clear and unbroken in a True Greenback. The counterfeit will Likely re veal blurred indistinct lines. People should pay attention to the. Paper. Genuine paper contains no water Marks and has tiny red and Blue fibres embedded throughout the pamphlet said. Counterfeiters will attempt to print the red and Blue lines. Even though machines exist to detect counterfeit Bills fingers arc still the most effective tool for picking out phony notes said Paul Samulski merchants Bank Security director for Continental Europe. On Good Bill you la feel the raised letters of the  if it s Nice and smooth it could be a problem. If you doubt a Bill is genuine take it to local police authorities the secret sen ice or a Bank. And if your office gets a new fancy copier Don t use it to counterfeit . Currency Soliz said. The Federal penalty for a counterfeit ing conviction is second Only to that for treason he said. Counterfeiters can defined up to $5,000 and receive 15 years imprisonment for each note seized. Money from Page 12 More than 30,000 sorts of false dollars Fauconnier said. Because the counterfeits Are difficult to detect All people in the agencies Bank branches have to note the numbers of the  in addition the Bank will accept $50 and $100 Bills Only As deposits from account holders not for Exchange Faucon Nier said. The . Army criminal records Cen Ter in Baltimore reports that the army crime lab in Frankfurt examined 141 Bills in 1992 that were submitted by military investigative agencies throughout Europe. Of those it determined 119, or 84 per cent were counterfeit. Rolando p. Soliz special agent in charge of the . Secret service office i Paris which monitors counterfeiting in Europe could not confirm a greater counterfeiting problem in the so called Tri Border area. However authorities seized More than $10.5 million in counterfeit Bills 1992 be fore they hit the streets As a result of anti counterfeit operations in Belgium Netherlands and Germany. Healthier Dollar reflects Good economic signs in . By Crystal Laureano staff writer favourable economic signs from the United states Are credited with bolster ing the Dollar by 4 pfennig monday. Tuesday s military Exchange rate shot to 1.59 Marks to the Dollar from 1.55 Marks on monday and today s rate remained at the same level. The boost against the Mark followed favourable reports on several economic fronts said Thomas Meyer chief economist for Goldman Sachs in Frankfurt Germany. It was largely due to the better than expected economic indicators from the states he said. Durable orders in come growth these gains were much stronger than previous indications. The Dollar hit an eight month High Jan. 6, reaching a military rate of 1.60 Marks for the first time since May 12. But the Dollar stayed at that level for Only a Day before sliding to the mid-1.50 level. The coming months should see a Grad Ual increase of the Dollar s strength Meyer said possibly bringing the Exchange rate to 1.72 by year s end. It will have to be gradual appreciation because Good news out of the . Can also be followed by not so Good news he said. As much As the . Economic strength is tied to the the Dollar s Worth so is the German Economy. Inflation and High interest rates continue to plague the German Economy some economists said. Any move to bring . And German interest rates closer by lowering German rates or raising . Rates would probably be Good news for the Dollar. It s too Early in the new presidential term to predict what will happen to . Interest rates but the German Central Bank the Bundesbank is unlikely to significantly lower interest rates Meyer said. I expect the Bundesbank to not dash for lower rates As Long As they continue to observe High inflation he said. Lower rates would have to come on the Back of improved economic conditions. Otherwise it would Only cause More problems at Home with higher business costs that would feed into a higher con Sumer Price