European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 28, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 18 the stars and stripes Money matters november 28.1933 shown below a the highest Dollar Exchange rates Tor the week of nov. 22 26 compared with Dollar rate for the same period Ono year and five years ago. One Dollar would buy you  1091 military Chang pm &fltf8h Pound Ono Pound would Cost you 1 82 1.48 belgian franc one Dollar would buy you dutch Guilder one Dollar would buy you 1.95 French franc one Dollar would buy you 5.95 5.93 1992 1ms i greek drachma one Dollar would buy you 238.81 200.43 1m3 i italian lira one Dollar would buy you 1.697v Spanish peseta one Dollar would buy you 139.40 115.85 1t4.20 one Dollar would buy you 13.641 8,224 1m3 nation s shoppers appear bbb to say buy buy to har by the associated press while Many shoppers jammed stores Toby gifts others found Joy in giving to themselves As the Christmas shopping season got under Way. Todd Spindler guiltily walked out of Ilene s basement in Chicago with a new suit the recipient Todd Spindler. Iff a terrible thing in t it said the26-year-old Engineer. But i did Start my Christmas shopping two Days  Sarith Mam 24, of Chicago took advantage of the sales for himself. I heard jeans were 40 percent off needed some he said As he headed into the Marshall Field s department store. Stores nationwide filled Early an stayed crowded much of the Day Friday the first Day of the seasonal shopping  in recent years shoppers kept an Eye on their budgets carrying list an plotting strategies for making the most of the season. Today i m buying the things 1 know will sell fast and might be gone a few weeks from now said Pat Yeager who was shopping in Buffalo . I can come Back later for the routine things turtlenecks pyjamas and maybe get a better price.". Mona Taylor of Dallas was Hunting for gifts for her two Young children while vis iting relatives in Little Rock Ark. We re going to try arid spend less maybe or about the same and try to get More educational creative things rather than spend Money on things they look at for an hour she said. Retail Industry analysts have become More upbeat lately in their forecasts for Tom Caffry of Boston took for a Christmas Gui at downtown crowing Boston Friday. The Day after thanksgiving traditionally if the busiest shopping Day of the year. ". Holiday sales because the Economy shows signs of  the budget conscious com ments from Many shoppers retailer were generally excited about the season s prospects. I think the Best Holiday shopping sea son since i be been in the business was 1983 and this year will top that kind of year said Bob Greiner executive vice president at Belk Simpson co., a department store Chain based in Greenville  attracted shoppers with Dis counts services such As personal shopper Sand baby sitting and special hours re served for older adults and people with Dis abilities. Jones store co., a department store i Kansas City gave away cellular Tele phones. People who spent $250 at Tyson scorer mall in the Virginia suburbs of Washington d.c., were Given a brass an Pewter Bell with a Cherub on top. Oil slide fails to drag Stock Market Down new York up weakness in the Oil sector nearly spoiled Wall Street s traditional thanksgiving Day Celebration last week. Wall Street historically moves higher around the thanksgiving Holiday. Although the Stock Market sold off monday a rebound in Bond prices helped stocks stabilize tuesday and Reg ister solid gains the next Day. After resting thursday to Mark thanksgiving the Market resumed Trad ing Friday on solid footing As firmer Bond prices provided stocks with a positive tone. However a sell off in Oil issues de pressed the Dow and threatened to drag along the rest of the Market. But thanks to Strong Bond prices the Broad Market managed to end the week in positive territory. The Oil sector took a dive after Merrill Lynch & co. Downgraded its ratings on a number of Oil companies following the Dow Jones new York up now Jom doting rang of wow on f Rwy. No it Dot of cab 30 industrials 370323 3m0.7s my 96 flffsg20 transport 1743.10 1717.24 f 73989 i 28 � Csuti Litt 227.85 22s.m 277.00 0.tt 85 Stock 1364.81 i344xs 13w.m organization of Petroleum exporting countries failure wednesday to reach an agreement on production cuts in a bid to nudge up declining Oil prices. Hugh Johnson head of the investment policy committee at first Albany corp. In Albany ., said Friday s session turned out to be a Good Post thanksgiving Day on Wall Street and it would have been even better if not for the decline in Oil stocks which depressed the  open s failure to set production limit was bad news for Oil stocks but it was Good hews for most  heavy fuel users like trucks and air lines he said. It was a real pleasant Christmas gift from open to the transportation Indus try he added. For the week the Dow Jones Industrial average which added 9.50 Points or 0.26 percent the previous week slipped 10.06 Points or 0.27 percent to 3683.95 to snap a two week winning Streak. But most of the other Market average finished the Holiday shortened week in positive territory. The new York Stock Exchange composite Index inched up 0.08 Point to end the week at 255.61 and the Standard poor s 500 Index edged up 0.46 Point to 463.06. Declines outnumbered advances 1,320-1,104 among the 2,798 issues traded. The amex Market value Index fell an other 4.51 Points or 0.96 percent to 463.47, but the Nash a composite Index recouped 3.31 Points or 0.44 percent to 754.87. Exec cleared in Industrial spy Case vow claims Sas Berlin a Volkswagen tried to shrug off the Lopez Industrial espionage affair Friday claiming an Independent audit puts it in the Clear. Out neither general motors nor prosecutors were  the same time vow said it expects to lose about $1.2 billion this year. Chairman Ferdinand Piech blamed the big loss on vow s troubled seat unit in Spain. He spoke to reporters after boar meeting at Wolfsburg Headquarters. The automaker said the Independent audit found no indications that secret data from other automobile manufacturers had any influence on purchasing and Cost cutting decisions Jose Ignacio Lope de Arr Ortua introduced at vow. There in t any evidence of Industrial espionage that benefited  Board chairman Klaus Luksen said. German prosecutors said they will be interested to see the auditor s report but Are not halting their criminal investigation of former pm purchasing chief Lopez now no. 2 nun at vow. Europe largest automaker. General motors which Lopez abandoned last Spring for Volkswagen along with seven associates accused Volks Wagen of trying to Whitewash grand theft with an investigation it ordered and paid for. R in a news release David Herman chairman of pm s German subsidiary Adam opel called the Volkswagen move disgrace to German Industry. He accused vow of misleading the Public by claiming opel documents seized by pros Teuton on vow property allegedly Sto Len by Lopez and fellow defectors were not secret