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Show Bs 00 Financial Markets B6 The Daily Herald Monday, April 1, 1996 nations seek answer to unemployment G-- 7 104 r 100 f; 96 ' i y Zf-- rtf io3.it I W. ! j - 90. J rang MhMuH - Mk and nam worm M2 (01 J ASE-OT- 105 25 --0 67 106 40 0 06 Muncipal Bond Funds led Ml Int 8S -- 0 Taxable j v - T 106 24 - SoiXCM Btrt Rr Umo Mm Courvl. 52 -- 0 16 9 25 9 03 99 32 -- 0 33 10 30 10118 Money Funds 100 72 Real Estate Gold 103 64 114 32 0 09 o 05 S By RAF CASERT Associated Press Wnter 19 2 96 17 .12 65 2 95 20 79 0 j j dividing me total assess heid By fom Rstv th lnvmanl Cornwiy tnsttuM Xjfxri Brot Ux billyKK InMmationti Nuton Assoanor at Morgan Stanwy Cap Anal Management. Surxtva 1 Poor Roort Siww 4 Co ond Gokj Ri f&e (aport Lycft Uone tarn inmrnm Taut -- 0 CDs The value of ttie average investor s portfolio is determined by Americans by tne number olUS adults Srvc 98 07 101 54 Prudri MONEV rnaaawie v4 AP .notfooal niflMifjht0 LITTLE ROCK. Ark. (AP) Inc.'s suvk fell sharply after the executive many had expected to take over the top spot at the discounter quit to run Blockbuster Entertainment Inc. Bill Fields' departure as the chief s of main discount store business took 4 percent off the company's stock Friday. News of his appointment as chairman of the Viacom Inc. subsidiary- lifted that company's stock a similar amount. manufacturers have resolved copyright and production disputes that may have kept advanced compact discs from the market this fall. Wal-Ma- rt The Motion Picture Association of America and Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association on Friday announced an Wal-Man- BOSTON ( agreement for revising copyright laws for digital recordings. Separately, manufacturers have agreed on a technical method to produce the new compact discs, known as DVDs. Abbott lab- AP) oratories, a powerhouse in the ARLINGTON. Va. ( AP) MCI Communications Corp. will provide coupons that may be medical diagnostics and drug industry, will acquire MediSense Inc.. a maker of portable blood sugar monitors used by diabetics. The $876 million cash purchase announced Friday adds to Abbott's line of testing devices. Abbott hasn't participated much in the ongoing merger and consolidation frenzy hitting the health care industry, preferring to grow internally by researching new drugs and diagnostic tests. redeemed for $2.50 in service to repay customers who were overcharged for collect calls. MCI said Friday it learned in January that some customers placing collect calls were billed for an extra minute because of a computer software problem. Since mid I9s)3. the billing error has cost customers an estimated $44 million, or an average of IS cents a call, spokesman Michael Tierney said. long-distan- CLEVELAND AP) ColumbiaHCA Healthcare Corp. is broadening its strategy of buying up htspita!s. clinics and home health businesses b acquiring most of Blue Cross Jt' Blue Shield of Ohio, the state's largest health insurer. ( The S2W.5 million deal, announced Friday, represents the first significant foray into the insurance business by Columbia, the nation's biggest hospital chain. for-prof- NEW YORK (AP) Movie studios and consumer electronics TALLAHASSEE. Fla (APi Angry Florida tomato growers received state backing in demanding heavy tariffs on Mexican tomatoes they say are dumped in the United States at low prices they can't match. The state on Friday joined farmers in filing a complaint with the International Trade Commission and the C.S. Commerce Department asking the government to slap duties on Mexican tomato imports to erase a price adv antage. Briefly vQSJlttl The world s TOKYO (AP) bank biggest opened for business the hvday. product of a merger between two of the strongest pillars of the Japanese banking industry. The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubis- Performance of key stock markets Percent hi ' Jk. Previous close Lv Amsterdam combines the international expertise of tlx Bank of Tokyo, which specializes in foreign exchange transactions, with the massive domestic 526 88 Milan ' Brussels 05 overseas trend toward huge banking powers. are occurring "Changes worldwide, with banks such as Chemical Banking Corp. and Chase Manhattan Corp. of the I'nited Slates merging." Takagaki said. "We have to do our best to respond to these changes." Industry analysts are upbeat about prospects for the new Kink, which is the world's biggest in terms of assets, holding more than S720 billion. The new Chase Kink will have about $300 billion in assets. i 9213 201997 JW945. Tasuku Takagaki. president of the new bank, told reporters the merger came in response to an ' Paris 1 . Frankfurt Sydney ' zzxY .'6.9V 72504"; q s 0 7, J1030 Tokyo SS 21295 82 0 London 5o Zurich SALT LAKE CITY (APi A Micron Technology Inc. spokeswoman said it's not surprising that Utah residents surveyed recently have a dubious view about Micron's future contribution to Utah's economy. "I think our industry probably dot's scare people that aren't familiar with it." said Julie Nash, a spokeswoman for the Boise. Idaho-based memory chip maker "If you don't understand how quickly conditions can change, it would be a little scary." Micron in February halted cong struction of a massive plant at Lehi. which had been expected to employ thousands and send ripples of prosperity through Utah's economy. The company stopped short because in late 1995. after con 02 thsrw-jneraMARKETS AmuorOim CBS BnjllH B X FurfcSjrt PAX Hong Kcry Tfow Sang lonaon FT 00 Pnt CAC-4- 0 Sytrwt Mn A MiB Onmtn 2uc na wnMot Kig ( AP) - Spot mcul prices Monday. Aluminum - 74.5 cents per lb. London Metal Exch. Fri. $1.2100 Cathode full NEW YORK Copper non-feiro- plate. U.S. destinations. lb. NY Copper - $1.1670 per hfo ff 0 I) er. "Ltxk at the impact of uncertainabout U.S. budgetary policy on the dollar exchange rate," Santer said. "That is why macroeconomic coordination at the G-- 7 level .... is a matter of strong common interest." Brown dismissed the criticism, saying the perfixmonce of the dollar "has been exaggerated as a factor." At a national level, options to spur employment are limited. For most governments, the budget squeeze is on and talk of more taxes is considered sacrilegious. Unions, meanwhile, also are putting pressure on the G-- 7 minisnear ters, staging a counter-summtheir meeting Chirac said the opening up of the wvrld economy, "holds the risk of leaving a growing part of the population by the wayside " A coordinated G-- 7 policy, however, will be difficult to achieve ty it struction began, that chip-makin- g it became clear capacity was growing worldwide at the same time demand and prices tor chips were falling Micron said it would postpone completion of the S2.5 billion Lehi plant until the memory chip market improves, and still expects the plant to be finished in three to five years. Micron initially had planned to complete the first phase of the mammoth manufacturing and begin chip production plant this summer But 52 percent of Utah residents responding to an early March poll said they doubt Micron will be a significant player in Utah's economy this decade. The poll was conducted by Dan Jones & Associates for the Vw n7 .Yews and KSL-T- Y and the results Sosx xJ AP Merc spot Fri. Lead 52 cents per lb. 6 Zinc per lb. delivered. Tin - $4.2430 Fri. Metals Week composite price per lb. Gold - $394.20 Handy & Har-ma- n (only dailv quote). Gold - $395.80 Troy oz.. NY Merc spot month Fri. Silver $5,520 Handy & Har-ma- n (only dailv quote). Silver - $5,520 per uvy oz.. NY Merc spot month Fri. Mercury - $265 .00 per 76 lb flask. New York. Platinum - $41 1. 50-$-4 3. 00 N.Y. o.. troy (contract). Platinum $405.80 .N.Y. Merc spot per troy oz. Fri. .5I72-.527- -- 1 Inc., a Chicago-base- d restaurant consultancy. The first in a series of six commercials debuted Sunday at S p.m. on all major television networks. What's that got to do with taeos? "America wants to taste more out of life and that's why they're coming to Taco Bell." said Peter Waller, the company senior v ice president of marketing, in a state- Lights menu. "They need to get back to what brought them to the party, which was not selling healthy food." says Ron Paul, president of Technomic The MTV-style- d advertisements associate young, trendy people with Taco Bell food. They also reaffirm some of the company's e -- Thursday: 1.4753 German marks, down from 1.4756 106.44 Japanese yen. up from 106.31 1.1894 Swiss francs, down from 1.1903 5.0262 French francs, down from 5.0370 . .... once-prospero- Taco Bell IRVINE. Calif. wanted you to feel good about your waistline. Now it wants you to feel goixl about yourself. The Mexican chain rolled ou a $200 million advertising campaign this weekend aimed at creating a hip image for Taco Bell and capturing "the positive attitude that's emerging in America." Another goal of the "Nothing Ordinary About It" campaign: sales reversing the slide that occurred as the company was pushing its low fat Border same-stor- The dollar LONDON (AP) was mostly lower in European n. trading today. Gold was dow late with Dollar rates compared M j AP Pnoto U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich, right, is greeted by his trench counterpart Jacques Barret as French Finance Minister Jean Arthuis, left, looks on before the opening of the 7 Summit in Liile, France today where ministers will try to find ways to get their combined 22 million jobless back to work. because of disparate views of gov"In Europe, social security is more extensiv e. w age increases hav e ernment's role in the economy. G-- In Britain, the unemployment rate is the lowest in five years at 7.9 per- cent, with Prime Minister John poliMajor crediting the hands-of- f cies of the Conserv ative gov emment for allowing free-mkel forces full play. But U.S. and British success has been at the cost of lower salaries. a. been higher but jb creation less dynamic." Chirac said "Japan dif- fers from both insofar as it has relaand a tively little unemployment high level of salaries.'' Chirac said. Japan's jobless late is .V4 percent combats unemployment by subsidizing salaries in small businesses and providing centers. It job-traini- ft w a-- i Wm were reported by the on Sunday The poll of n7 residents had a 4 percent margin of error. About 35 percent of those polled do expect Micron to be a factor in Utah's economy within the decade. Micron plans to keep a crew of t0 to HX) people from its construction firm working on various projects at the Lehi site. Nash said. "We're still just watching the market at this point." Nash said "It's just going to come to the point where we feel it's time and the market needs that capacity That is a facility that we will eventually need " state-of-the-a- rt Micron's reassurances satisfy Joe Jenkins, state Community and Economic Development Depart ment director Jenkins traveled to Boise last week to meet with Micron's hoard and chief executive Steve Applelon. "I cjme away from that meeting confident that they are still planning on being a player in the stale ot Utah, and the determining factor is the economy of the computer chip industry." Jenkins said "They believe the market will turn around within two years." Micron officials told Jenkins the company has no plans to sell the facility or to sign on any partners to use it "Their philosophy is that when the chip economy turns around, demand will he such they'll need the whole facility." Jenkins said "They feel it's a great investment tor them to have it right there." Ads with bite? Taco Bell launches new campaign fast-foo- d 3403 3672 6 07 'AWJl -- Survey: Locals don't expect much from Micron By KELLY BARRON Orange County Register Hong Kong social safety net. "We don't want (U.S. style) hire and fire." said the German economics minister, Guenther Revrodi Reflecting a common agenda at the two-da- y meeting. Chirac urged governments to reduce budget deficits, cut the cost of unskjiled labor, reform the welfare taxation system, boost job incentives through vocational training and improve dialogue. Two years after the initial jobs summit in Detroit, Lille, host of this meeting, is now a symKl of industrial decline, with high crime, high unemployment and little hope for improvement. Gaming unemployment also plagues the other G-- 7 nations. Germany and Japan, two of the world's most powerful economies, have just hit their highest unemployment rates since World War II Jacques Santer. the president of the European Union's executive KkIv. said the global economy was too dependent on U.S. nxwtary policies, and he called fcr improved international cooperation. Many U.S. trading partners complain the American dollar is undervalued, making U S expixts cheap- 2o i " free-mark- chip-makin- 9. 0 I presence of Mitsubishi Bank. President LILLE. France Jacques Chirac urged the world's seven richest nations today to seek a "third path" between unbridled economics and inten ention-is- t policies to get millions of unemployed persons back to work. Welcoming the Group of Seven labor ministers at their second jobs summit. Chirac said it was the "obsession" of the G-- 7 nations to get their collective 22 million jobless back to work. He challenged the ministers to dovetail "'he most flexible markets 1 where wages adjust downward am especially thinking here of the and Nnh American economies markets salaries best where are job preserved, mainly the economies of continental Europe." "That is precisely w hat is at stake at this conference: defining the outlines of a third path." Chirac told delegations from the United States. Japan. Canada. Germany. Italy, Britain and France. Joint action is unlikely when such boosters as the I'nited States and Britain share the table with the more interventionist France and Germany Brimming with confidence after the I'nited States created 8.5 million jobs in the past three years. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Ron Brow n saw little cause to change tack. "The United States comes to this conference feeling very good about the proga'ss that we make." he said. He credited the reduction in the budget deficit and low inflation o instrumental in creating the right env ironmcnt for job creation. U.S. unemployment stands at 5.5 percent, half that of the Eunpean Union. However, the price is greater poverty, lower wages and a thinner free-mark- et 1996 1995 33 28 34 99 28 07 01 EE (wmo.nii ' NYSE Greater poverty, lower wages plague U.S. WiP Equity Funds I0m.2.19M100 i Tmifr in vht Indri Wci I f- ' Cafefsrc The underpinnings of Taco Bell's campaign are polling data from Lou Harris American dream that show the is still alive and that people are seeking to live life more fully and have more fun. ment. DILBERT IN AN IFFOfsTTO COOiT SAUS , LAPTOP COAPUTtfcS HAVE. QEE.N 0IVE.N TO EVEW rAtrAEIk CF TWt SALL5 fORCE. previously successful campaigns such as the "Run for the Border commercials." A line in the rock 'n' roll tune accompanying one of the spots tells people to "head for the border." The advertisements also try to differentiate Taco Bell from other chains The theme song says: "If you want something different, then put your burgers down." Taco Bell is departing from its advertising of last year by focusing heavily on image rather than on specific products Taco Bell's $75 million Border Lights launch concentrated so much on nutritional nuances that core customers young men were neglected. Analysts say delivering a message to the company's heaviest fast-foo- d Bv Scott Adams C0UD &L A POBlErA, GtVLN THE RECENT CJT TO WE TRAINING TMAT BUDGET. HNEANDHILE, IN THE FIELD users is a logical play. But will the new campaign draw more cus tomers to Taco Bell stores ' "Anything that's strategically sound and executed well will work. But with any campaign, you just have to wait and see." said Bob Sandclman. a restaurant consultant in Brea. Calif. One thing Taco Bell has going for it is money. The $200 million budget for the campaign will ensure visibility. Company officials say they also plan to continue to do product advertising as new menu items are introduced through the y ear. Paul is willing to bet the new campaign will beat the company's marketing efforts last year. "It's going to be far more suc- cessful than Border Lights." says Paul. "I see no downside to it." IMPROVE YOUR LOOKS, HEALTH AND , I POPULARITY. AND IF V0U ORDER TD0AX Ilk IN THIS ThROU ) RECTKNGvAAR PLASTIC THING. QUI SMOKING. Amrtcon Mar1 AuocicrHon t '? Aowm-a- Hh" Andaman |