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National  + Finance  | 

LightBox CRE Activity Index Rebounds to Highest Reading of 2025

LightBox, a leading provider of commercial real estate data and technology, said its September CRE Activity Index climbed to 116.8, marking the highest reading of 2025 and extending the index’s eight-month streak above the 100-point benchmark for healthy market activity. The index captured the market’s immediate reaction to the Federal Reserve’s 25-basis-point rate cut in mid-September, 

The rebound followed August’s seasonal dip and was fueled by a late-third-quarter surge in property listings, steady appraisal pipelines and continued strength in environmental due diligence, according to LightBox.

“September’s rebound was both expected and encouraging,” said Manus Clancy, head of Data Strategy at LightBox. “We’re seeing sellers return to the market and lenders gradually stepping up activity in response to the Fed’s easing. The combination of improved liquidity and rising confidence suggests that the August slowdown was a short-term lull, not a trend reversal.”

Headwinds remain, though. Labor data show softening conditions, inflation is proving sticky and a federal shutdown has introduced new uncertainty. Nonetheless, the market’s resilience underscores the strength of underlying demand, LightBox said.

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About Paul Bubny

Paul Bubny serves as Senior Content Director for Connect Commercial Real Estate, a role to which he brings 16-plus years’ experience covering the commercial real estate industry and 30-plus years in business-to-business journalism. In this capacity, he oversees daily operations while also reporting on both local/regional markets and national trends, covering individual transactions across all property types, as well as delving into broader subject matter. He produces 7-10 daily news stories per day and works with the Connect team and clients to develop longer-form content, ranging from Q&As to thought-leadership pieces. Prior to joining Connect, Paul was Managing Editor for both Real Estate Forum and GlobeSt.com at American Lawyer Media, where he oversaw operations at both publications while also producing daily news and feature-length articles. His tenure in B2B publishing stretches back into the print era, and he has served as Editor in Chief on four national trade publications. Since 1999, Paul has volunteered as the newsletter editor of passenger rail advocacy groups (one national, one local).

  • ◦Sale/Acquisition
  • ◦Economy
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