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 survey published on Friday. 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 weaker than a preliminary estimate of 48.2 and remained below the 50.0 level that represents the threshold for growth for a 10th straight month.