Vicar leads his flock to market

A GERMAN vicar has become his nation's stocks and shares guru - commanding particular attention because of his closeness to the biggest broker of all.

The Reverend Uwe Lang of the tiny Bavarian town of Dinkelscherben has become a regular on TV and in newspaper columns, weighing the pros and cons of such blue-chip companies as Daimler-Chrysler, Volkswagen and Bosch.

On Sundays he preaches in his church and on weekdays, in tandem with his public appearances and outpourings, he manages the portfolios of many of Germany's richest investors.

'I try to keep my two worlds separate,' said Lang, who has written six how-to books in Germany that have sold more than a million copies in the past two years. He also produces a bi-weekly investment newsletter with 1,300 faithful subscribers. 'A number of banks also subscribe,' he said proudly.

Talk of money changers being driven from the temple and other financial references in the Bible merely cause him to raise his eyebrows heavenwards. He said: 'Christ expelled the moneychangers from the temple because the church had degenerated into a purely commercial undertaking. It was not a fundamental rejection of moneymaking.'

The prudent parson's stock tips have endeared him to professionals and amateurs. 'Do not continually read share quotations or you will always feel compelled to act,' is one. Another: 'TV news reports of a market boom are a sure sign the wind is about to change direction.'

He became interested in the stock market in the 1970s and clashed with his Protestant bishops over the years. Now 58, he is almost retired from the clergy but preaches every Sunday and officiates at baptisms and marriages. 'And when things go wrong for investors,' he said, 'I am always available for spiritual counselling.'