The headline index remains 1.6% below its July peak but is now more comfortably above the 100 line, indicating optimists outnumber pessimists. Indeed, while confidence may still not be particularly strong, there has been a clear improvement over 2018. November marks the twelfth successive month that optimists have outnumbered pessimists contrasting with the previous twelve months when pessimism held sway for 11 out of 12 reads.