The hunt for good news stories remains a real challenge. Coronavirus this, coronavirus that. A new national month-long lockdown effective from Thursday morning was announced last night. Germany and France re-introduced strict measures of their own amid dire warnings for the winter. The IMF has said that the coronavirus recession is now likely to be more severe than it had originally predicted. Pizza Express announced they are to cut 1,300 more jobs. Hammersmith Bridge will not now be fully re-opened to traffic until 2027. The terrorist attack in Nice. Sir Sean Connery passing away yesterday. The clocks going back, signalling the start of winter. And, we have not even had to mention Tottenham’s embarrassing defeat to Royal Antwerp in the Europa Cup on Thursday night. But surely there is some good news out there, other than that half-term is almost over, and the kids are still going back to school?! Well...yes. For instance, the US Election is, thankfully, reaching its conclusion on Tuesday, even if it may still be days or weeks before the winner is ratified. Also, it was confirmed that some UK urban areas are now leafier than some national parks. And more... Japan, the world’s third largest economy, has committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2050. And even more... new generation of star footballers are standing up for causes they believe in and using their influence to champion social progress. And if that is not enough, it's now only two weeks until the start of I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! When much of the media is full of doom and gloom, there are still snippets of positivity out there… if you look hard enough. Think like a proton. Stay positive.

So, sticking with a positive attitude, the UK property industry has also been the source of a few encouraging headlines this week too. MSCI reported that the performance of retail-focused unlisted property funds improved slightly in the three months to 30 September. Data from the MSCI/AREF Quarterly Property Fund Index shows average returns across the retail property funds tracked was -8.92% for the quarter, compared with -11.56% for Q2. We did use the word 'slightly'! Avison Young’s Big Nine report advised that whilst occupational activity continues to be significantly below ten-year averages, there was a noticeable improvement in Q3 on the previous quarter, attributed to several large long-term commitments in the regional markets, and the on-going resilience of the BioTech and Technology sectors in the South East. For example, Baillie Gifford pre-let 280,000 sq. ft in Edinburgh, and Babcock took 132,000 sq. ft. at Bristol Business Park. In addition, BT has recently agreed a 175,000 sq. ft. pre-let commitment in Manchester. For industrials, BNP reported that UK big-box take-up achieved a record high for the second consecutive quarter in Q3, at 13.5m sq. ft, up 73% year-on-year. Amazon continues to grab the headlines, agreeing another five deals in the quarter, including 2.3m sq. ft. at Symmetry Park, Swindon and 532,500 sq. ft. at Hinckley Park, Leicestershire. They've now taken 11.2m sq. ft. of big-box space in 2020 so far! And finally, it was announced on Friday that house prices rose at their fastest rate for five years in October. The Nationwide's survey showed that prices increased by 0.8% month-on-month, with activity boosted by buyers searching for homes with more space. When much of the property media is full of doom and gloom, there are still snippets of positivity… if you look hard enough. Think like a proton. Stay positive.

Whisper it quietly, but we are officially edging closer to the festive season, with Christmas already poking its tinselled head around the corner. Oxford Street retailers are raring to get the socially-distanced party started in earnest, and their Christmas lights will be glittering once more… from tomorrow evening! The date is about three weeks earlier than last year so as to give visitors more time to enjoy the festive season. The display will again have a new look. Last year, they aimed for a Northern Lights effect. This year, the twenty-seven light curtains (made up of a total of 220,000 LED bulbs) which run the length of the street will display a 'heart-warming poem', celebrating London itself, as well as people across the country who've shown 'incredible acts of care, kindness and support' over the last twelve months. It was reported a little while back that the Christmas lights would take on a Crossrail theme, but as that project continues to run well behind schedule, The Weekly reckons it could be another year (or three) before that set gets an airing! Prepare thyselves, people: Christmas is reckons it could be another year (or three) before that set gets an airing! Prepare thyselves, people: Christmas is nearly here. And remember. Think like a proton. Stay positive.