Economic Recovery, Good News | featured news

Analysts had expected an increase. The number of newly laid-off workers filing claims for unemployment benefits dropped unexpectedly last week, the Labor Department reported today, a sign the job market is healing as the economy slowly recovers.

Dow futures were up 30 points. The S&P Case-Shiller home-prices indexes showed U.S. home prices decreased at a slower annual rate in October, but prices were flat compared to September.

U.S. employers expect to hire more new workers in 2010 than they did in 2009, a sign the U.S. recession may be easing its grip, research showed on Tuesday.

The recovery may have gotten off to a slow start in the third quarter, but a surge in sales of existing homes in November could presage a more robust end to the year.

California's unemployment rate fell in November, another sign that a recovery is underway, even as the state shed jobs from its payrolls.

The state's unemployment rate slid to 12.3%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this morning, down from 12.5% the month before. It is one of 36 states that saw unemployment rates decline in November.

Consumers spent more on gasoline and a wide range of other goods, data showed, raising hopes of a self-sustaining economic recovery.

Americans got wealthier for a second straight quarter in the fall, as the economic recovery again boosted home values and investments.

U.S. job losses slowed sharply in November and the unemployment rate unexpectedly declined, in a sign the labor market is finally starting to heal.

Data, coupled with new information on jobless claims, provides a bit of hope for the economy.

As global trade recovers, expect a return to pre-crisis current account dynamics.