By Amber Murray Optimism among the UK’s small and medium-sized businesses has grown for a third consecutive year in a positive sign for the domestic economy, according to fresh data. Around seven in ten SMEs said they felt confident about the future of their company, rising from 67 per cent in 2023 and 65 per cent in 2022, according to American Express research. The data, which surveyed 1,000 UK SMEs, found that nearly three quarters of SMEs felt their business was in good shape, a five per cent uplift from 2022. The most significant uptick in optimism was among firms with between one and nine…