FRENCH PAYMENTS SURPLUS SHRINKS IN JANUARY

  France's current account payments surplus
  slipped to a provisional 300 mln francs, seasonally adjusted,
  in January from a downward revised surplus of 3.8 billion in
  December, the Finance Ministry said.
      The December figure was revised from a provisional 4.8
  billion franc surplus reported a month ago.
      On an unadjusted basis, January payments showed a 5.2
  billion franc deficit after a revised 7.1 billion December
  surplus. The December unadjusted surplus was revised down from
  a provisional 8.2 billion.
      The Ministry said trade, measured on balance of payments
  criteria, showed an unadjusted 7.1 billion franc January
  deficit while services showed a 3.7 billion surplus.
      Other items, mainly including unilateral transfers, showed
  a 1.8 billion deficit.
      The current account showed an adjusted surplus of 6.1
  billion francs in January last year, and an unadjusted deficit
  of one billion.
      The full year 1986 current account surplus was reported
  last month at 25.8 billion francs.
  

