European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 23, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                C Page 14 the stars and stripes Money matters saturday april 23,1994 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 British Pound. 1.53dutch Guilder. 1.84 German Mark. 1.65 greek drachma. 241.5826 note the rates above apply within the hos country. Figures Are expressed in dollars to the British Pound other currencies to the Dollar following Are Interbank rate that fluctuate and should be regarded As the approximate value of the  Dollar to foreign Curren cies. Austrian Schilling. 11.9045 Bahrain Dinar. 0.37675belgian franc. 34.81 British Pound. 1.4885 Canadian Dollar. 1.3775danish Krone 6.636 dutch Guilder. 1.9024 French franc 5.78 German Mark. 1.6824italian lira 1,619.50 Kuwait Dinar. 0.2973 norwegian Krone. 7.3375portuguese escudo. 173.10 saudi rial. 3.7499 Spanish peseta. 137.57swiss franc. 1.4365 turkish lira. 29,000.00 note figures Are expressed in dollars to the British Pound other currencies to the Dollar Gold quote $372.85 an ounce Silver quote $5,22 an ounce sources merchants National Bank & Trust co.,the associated press United press International new York Exchange new York Dpi the 15 most Active stocks in Newyork Stock Exchange composite trading on thursday. Stock sales last net chg Tel Fonos of my 10,146,500 54 it up 3 a a corp 8,751,700 58tt up by Motorola inc 4,690,100 46 i up 2 a Chrysler corp 4,439,500 48 up 2digital equip it 4,203,300 19 w off i Ford motor co 4,156,000 55m up Vignera motors 4,075,000 55 h up Merck & co inc 3,987,500 30% up i Citicorp 3,648,300 37% up ban America 3,534,200 45 v4 up2 /4 Rwjr Nabisco hid 3,390,200 6 i Uchwal Mart stores 3,262,700 25 it up1tt at company 3.204,700 53 it  2,739,200 31% putt Yff Sociedade 2,717,600 24 to putt american Exchange new York up the 10 most Active stocks i american Stock Exchange composite trading thursday. Stock sales last  softer 968,000 25 v4 up 3 Echo Bay mines 546,400 10 m up Viator corp 342,100 5vi up i expo rate co la 309,500 11-16 up f-16hemto Gold mine 290,900 8 to unch Amdahl corp 273,000 7 pwt Vancorp 256.700 25 up Riuo Blocher 236,200 10v  inc 222,700 3 it Offutt no Amer vaccine 214,200 10 a off 1 i Dow Jones new York up Dow Jones closing Range of averages on wednesday High Low Clou chang30 industrials 3662.66 3546.65 3598.71 off 21.11 20transport 1572.07 1530.80 1546.02 off 10.8215 utilities 200.50 195.16 199.64 up 4.08 65 stocks. 1290.31 1252.54 1270 45 off 3.33 humane society urges scrapping of Difaro race Anchorage Alaska a the 1,100-mile id Tarod Trail sled dog race that has claimed the lives of at least 13dogs is too grueling for the animals and should t continue an animal Protection group said thursday. The humane society said it plans to urge corporate sponsors to sever ties with the id Tarod which is run every March from Anchorage across Alaska to Nome. Id Tarod officials had no immediate comment. The society is the largest . Animal Protection organization claiming 1.8 Mil lion members. Stockholders Selling out despite 1 St Quarter prof its new York a american corporations Are reporting better than expected profits for the first Quarter Al though a glance at the Stock Market s  the period might Indi Cate another Story. With about a Quarter of major . Companies reporting results 66 percent have announced earnings in line with or better than analysts expectations according to Zacks investment research. Results Are running about 13 percent above profits in the same Quarter last year and 3 percent above forecasts said Rick Pucci senior vice president at ibes. Inc., which tracks analysts earnings Esti mates. -. It s a much better Reading than in the prior four quarters said Ben Zacks executive vice president of the company that bears his name. Still since its High Jan. 31, the Dow Jones Industrial average the Best known barometer of the Stock Market s health has tumbled More than 8 percent. The Stock Market adage of buy on the expectation and sell on the news seems appropriate analysts said. While such companies As Caterpillar inc., Motorola inc. And Chrysler corp. Have announced Strong earnings in the three months that ended March 30, investors have pounded their stocks. Most recently on wednesday Cater pillar reported record profits and sales saying first Quarter earnings grew to a better than expected $192 million. But investors weren t impressed and the Stock plunged More than $7 a share be fore recovering to close up $3.\1vi on thursday. A Day earlier Chrysler reported record profits of nearly $1 billion roughly in line with expectations. Still the automaker s Stock Price dropped More than $4 Over two Days before earning Back $2 on thursday. And last week Motorola the electronics company reported a 46 percent profit increase just a Penny shy of analysts expectations. Yet investors sold out push ing the Stock Down More than $1.6 in the week. Although both Zacks and ibes said it was Tod Early to talk about where the corporate growth was coming from most Market observers attributed the Good re sults to a balance of Cost cutting Mea sures and improved sales. Light tank goes to army for test san Jose Calif up a new Light tank designed to be easily airlifted and deployed quickly to anywhere in the world was unveiled thursday and turned Over to the army for testing United defense a partnership be tween the fac corp. And Harco corp., developed the xm8 to fill a void in the army s Arsenal for a versatile fighting machine to be used by its Quick strike Light cavalry units. Today we be taken a step toward the 21st Century said Brig. Gen. John e. Longhouser. This is a vehicle capable of being deployed against any threat anywhere in the world any time and will allow our soldiers to win decisively and come Home alive,",., _ a. Six prototypes of the xm8 were turned Over to the army for a testing period expected to last at least two years. The initial contract to build the six prototypes brought the company $160 million. A company spokesman said that if the vehicles cleared the test period the Pentagon would Purchase at least 237 of the Light tanks Worth about $1 billion. The combat vehicle combines a 105 my Cannon with an updated version of the Chassis from the old Sheridan Light tank. It can be carried by almost All air Force transport planes including the c 130 Hercules and can even be dropped by Parachute. In contrast the my main Battle tank can Only be carried by the huge c-5 Gal Axy which need Long runways and Are in Disney store in to be no Mickey Burbank Calif. Up the Walt Disney co. Said thursday that its Disney store in Paris is the top performing Loca Tion in its 260-store retail Chain despite disappointing attendance figures at the nearby euro Disney Park. The store on the famed Avenue Des champs Elyse is in Paris opened six months ago. It is Disney s third flagship store in Europe and features More Mer Chandise than most Disney stores. The news comes As a Welcome boost to the entertainment giant because euro Disney s attendance figures and consumer spending have been below expectations since the Park opened outside Paris in april 1992. Euro Disney which is 49 percent owned by Disney lost More than $900 million in the fiscal year that ended sept. 30. United defense s president Thomas Rabaut left talks to . Army chief of staff Gen. Gordon r. Sullivan after a Roll out ceremony for the xm8 armoured combat vehicle in san Jose Calif., on thursday. Big demand in emergencies to carry a lot would be to get out to somewhere like of other outsize cargo like helicopters. Persian Gulf quickly and counter invade officials said the Mission of the xm8 ing tanks until heavier mis arrive. Paris proving mouse venture Disney executives attributed the Paris store s Strong performance to a 60-year heritage of Disney products in France. I m delighted that the Paris store successfully complements the Long standing popularity of Disney merchandise in France said Paul Pressler executive vice president of the Disney stores. Disney also has flagship stores on Lon Don s Regent Street in Frankfurt Ger Many and in Shibuya Japan which also Are top performers. Disney has said it intends to open 500 stores. It will add 100 stores this year in France England Germany Spain Japan Hong Kong Singapore Canad and the United states. Disney s first store opened in Glen Dale Calif., in 1987. Dancing raisins Hung out to dry Sacramento Calif. Up it looks As if California s famous dancing raisins Are headed for temporary retirement. On thursday the California department of food and agriculture announced the end of the Raisin Industry marketing order that helped create the commercials featuring the singing and dancing dried fruit. You re going to continue to see Raisin advertising but probably not the dancing raisins said Barry Kriebel president of Sun maid growers of California the nation s largest Raisin producer. Last year California produced More than 362,000 tons of raisins Worth More than $325 million