Rapid growth in Britain's services sector eased slightly in September and a broader measure of private-sector expansion fell to a six-month low, a major business survey showed on Friday, raising the prospect of an end-of-year slowdown. The Markit/CIPS services purchasing managers' index (PMI) dropped to a three-month low of 58.7 in September from August's nine-month high of 60.5, falling slightly more than economists had forecast in a Reuters poll. The index is still well above historic averages and the 50-mark that separates growth from contraction. But combined with Wednesday's weak manufacturing PMI, a composite ... (full story)