Britain posted its best balance of payments...

Britain posted its best balance of payments figures for 11 months with a deficit for September of $980 million (560 million pounds). The shortfall in the current account, the widest measure of trade, compared to a deficit of $2.31 billion (1.31 billion pounds) in August and a record $3.8 billion (2.15 billion pounds) in July. The government has warned that Britain’s trade balance will remain in the red for months to come but has sharply increased interest rates since early summer in an attempt to moderate an consumer boom which has attracted an influx of imports.