
Britain’s manufacturers – hit in recent months by trade wars and higher taxes – moved closer to a return to growth in July and executives were their most optimistic in five months, according to a recent survey.
The S&P Global/CIPS manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index improved for a fourth month in a row to 48.0 from 47.7 in June, the weakest rate of contraction since January.
July’s final reading was slightly