November 1, 1985

An article in Business Day on Wednesday about the Xerox Corporation's third-quarter results misstated the stock's closing price the day before. The stock rose $1.625, to $50, on the New York Stock Exchange.

One uses a recoilless rifle to fight the Soviet troops in this country. Another is assigned to an antiaircraft machine gun. A third said he joined the Afghan rebels to save his life; a fourth, out of disillusionment. A fifth compares the rebels' cause to that of the partisans fighting the Germans in World War II. The five, in their early 20's, are all Soviet citizens. They are among the tens of thousands of Soviet conscripts sent to Afghanistan to fight the rebels since 1979 and among the scores who have, for various reasons, deserted and defected.

Senator Jesse Helms has threatened to hold up President Reagan's nomination of an Ambassador to China until he receives a letter from the President promising that United States funds will not be granted to nations that coerce abortions and sterilization. Mr. Helms has bottled up the appointment of Winston Lord as Ambassador to China for nearly five weeks. This diplomatic issue, more so than others in the past, has aroused more interest in New York than in Washington, given Mr. Lord's background as a former head of the Council of Foreign Relations, as the husband of the novelist Betty Bao Lord and as an associate of former Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger. But it turned out today that Mr. Helms, a conservative Republican from North Carolina, objects not to the nominee but to the policies of the equally conservative Reagan Administration.

The index of leading economic indicators, the Government's main forecasting gauge, rose one-tenth of 1 percent in September, the smallest gain since June. The rise in the index, which is supposed to foretell changes in the course of the economy, followed a much stronger August advance of nine-tenths of 1 percent. Many economists said the slight September increase was correctly forecasting the sluggish growth they expect in coming months.

Reflecting a surge in imports of cars, clothing, steel and other manufactured goods, the United States trade deficit grew to a record $15.5 billion in September, the Commerce Department said today. It was the widest monthly gap in history between what the country imports and what it exports. The trade deficit, which narrowed in July and August, widened in September despite a 17 percent depreciation of the dollar since February. A cheaper dollar is expected to make American exports more competitive abroad and foreign-made goods relatively more expensive and less competitive in this country.