European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 23, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 14 the stars and stripes Money matters Friday september 23, 1994 i today s rates 2 following Are fixed rates at which Community banking and credit Union facilities will sell foreign currencies to . Personnel for personal use British Pound. 1.62 dutch Guilder. 1.68 go Ontott to Turk. 1.51 note the rates above apply within the Host country. Figures Are expressed in dollars to the British Pound other Curron cios to the Dollar following Are Interbank rates that fluctuate and should be regarded As the approximate value of the . Dollar to foreign currencies. A a. ,. A a. A. Austrian Schilling. 10.8795 Bahrain Dinar. 0.37697 belgian franc 31.87 British Pound. 1.5775, Canadian Dollar. 1.3425 danish Krone. 6.0806 dutch Guilder.1.7341 French franc 5.2975 German mark1.5475 greek drachma. 235.95 italian lira. 1,563.25 Kuwait Dinar 0.29690 norwegian Krone 6.7779 portuguese escudo. 157.40 saudi rial. 3.7504 Spanish peseta. 128.07 Swiss franc. 1.2855 turkish lira. 34,050.00 note figures Are expressed in dollars to Tho British Pound other currencies to Tho Dollar. Gold quote $393.95 an ounce Silver quote $5.60 an ounce. Sources merchants National Bank amp Trust co. A and the associated press note to our readers rite listings of wednesdays 10 a most Active stocks on the american Exchange and the 15 most Active stocks on the new York Exchange were unavailable at press time. Many Federal workers get break on 1995 insurance reeling Ruble hits record Low against Moscow a the Ruble fell to a record Low thursday plunging 5.3 percent against the Dollar As the Central Bank stepped Back from the Market in an apparent Effort to ease pressure on the beleaguered russian currency. It was the largest single Day drop in the rubles value since a government crisis in january sent the Ruble reeling by 6.8 percent in one Day. At the Moscow Interbank currency Exchange russians largest the Dollar was fixed at 2,460 rubles up from 2,335 rubles wednesday. A a a a a traders said the Central Bank which spent about $200 million supporting the Ruble wednesday pulled out of the Market thursday. / a the Central Bank decided to refrain from intervention a said Igor Doronin chief analyst at the Exchange. A they decided to try to hold the rate at a higher level in order to beat Back the speculative  pressure on the Ruble has been growing since August As a huge seasonal increase in government spending worked its Way through the Economy participants said. The Central Bank has intervened heavily to slow the dollars Rise. But at the end of August the Bank tried a new tactic letting the Ruble fall sharply to release Market pressure. The move stabilized the Ruble for a few sessions but Sellers later returned. Thursdays huge drop caught participants by Surprise. A a Wco re in Shock a said Vadim Petruk bin a dealer at Kon Verbank in Moscow. By Mike Causey Washington Post Washington upwardly Mobile insurance premiums that usually take a. Healthy bite out of each january a Federal pay raise wont present that problem in 1995 for the typical government worker. Just when White Collar Federal employees in the nations Capitol arc getting their january raise a of around 3 percent a their health insurance premiums on average will drop More than 3 percent according to the office of personnel management the pm runs the nations biggest company style health plan which covers everyone from the president to the worker who mows the White House Lawn. Federal employees in Blue Cross Blue shield the most popular plan in the program will pay lower premiums next year in three of the four blues options. According to the associated press the total monthly Premium for the most popular plan the Blue Cross Blue shield High option will drop from $405  $393 a month for family coverage. But the employee share will climb by 91 cents to $102 a month. The plan covers 1.6 million people. Pm says premiums will remain the same a or drop a in plans that cover 58 percent of the work Force. About 27 percent of  Are in plans that will raise premiums less than 5 percent. The Federal employee health Benefit program covers nearly 10 million workers retirees and dependents. Since president Clinton proposed merging the Federal program into a National health care system Many insurance experts have said a and Many . Workers and retirees have discovered a that the Federal program is among the nations Best. Employees and retirees can change plans a or options a once a year during the regular open season it starts in november or anytime there is a change in their family or marital status or they become eligible for medicare. Unlike Many private companies that refuse to cover retirees or that raise premiums or Cut benefits of employees who retire the Federal health plans charge workers and retirees the same amounts for their premiums. Traders work the floor of the new York Stock Exchange during the closing minutes on wednesday in new York. The Dow Jones Industrial average fell 17.49 to 3,851.60. Fears of interest hike Trade deficit upsurge Force stocks downward new York apr fears of higher interest rates pushed stocks sharply lower on wednesday for the second consecutive session. The Dow Jones industrials fell 17.49 to 3,851.60. The Dow extended a 67-Point loss suffered tuesday after an unexpectedly Sharp Rise in the nation s Trade deficit led analysts to fear that the Federal Reserve would soon raise Short term interest rates. Those fears were supported Early wednesday when wave an Gell a former Federal Reserve e governor and current chief economist at Bear Stearns amp co. Said there was a 60 percent Chance that the fed would tighten policy at its tuesday meeting. Angl la a statement plus an unexpectedly Large increase in housing starts sent Bond prices lower and interest rates higher. Stocks followed suit. Declining issues outnumbered advances by about 12 to 5 on the new York Stock Exchange where volume totalled 351.84 million shares up from 325.89 million tuesday. Broad Market indexes also lost ground. The Nyser a composite Index fell 1.20 to 254.71. The Standard amp poor a 500-Stock Index fell 1.90 to 461.46. The Nash a composite Index fell 6.03 at 760.71. At the american Stock Exchange the Market value Index fell 3.38 to 454.77. A boards endorse Disney proposal for theme Park by the Washington Post Washington the Walt Disney co. On wednesday won two of its biggest victories so far in its drive to build a theme Park near Haymarket in Northern Virginia. The boosts came when Prince William county planning commissioners recommended local zoning approval for the project and regional transportation officials authorized millions of dollars in new roads to see it. Prince William planning commissioners voted 7-1 wednesday night to Back Disney a 3,000-acre Park and real estate development which supporters say will create a Magnet for tourists near the nations capital. Earlier in the Day the areas transportation planning Board voted 3-1 in Washington to Widen eight Miles of interstate 66 and add an interchange for the resort. Remaining hurdles include a Federal environmental review of the Road projects a process that could take More than a year and the possibility of lawsuits by opponents. But with this weeks Back to Back victories Disney has assembled most of the regulatory pieces it needs to break ground for the $650 million Park in 1996. The Park is scheduled to open by 1998. While the company must win one last vote by Prince William county supervisors in october it appears to have the support of the majority of the supervisors. But the transportation planning Board chairman staff director and opponents of the Park emphasized that the Board would have future votes on the Disney project. With additional information about the projects effects and More stringent regional standards to reduce air pollution going into effect they said it is conceivable the Board could Stop the Road improvements on i-66. Tobacco company recalls free Metal match lighter Winston Salem . A . Reynolds tobacco co. Has recalled a cigarette lighter handed out in a National promotion after it received complaints that people had been burned. About 2 million lighters called the Camel Metal match were Given to Consumers who purchased two packs of cigarettes the company said wednesday. The promotion began in August. The company based in Winston Salem said it received a Small number of complaints of Burns relating to the use of the lighter. The company did not say How the victims were burned. The lighter resembles a Small pack of Camel cigarettes with two cigarettes extending from the pack. The lighter is lighted by removing one of the a a cigarettes and striking the Bottom of the lighter. For returning a lighter or lighters Consumers will re be  $5 Check to cover their inconvenience the company said