New Jobless Claims Dip to Lowest Level in 17 Months

Well I guess you can celebrate the jobs are crashing slower

three cheers and a snap and a clap. And this is suppose to make me feel better because why.

i find it eerie that the government finds it "good" that only 432,000 jobs were lost this week....what about the other 17 million other Americans still out of work? obama and chicagolitics work backword in my estimation.

too bad obama didn't do something like cash for jobs rather then clunkers!
too bad obama didn't do something like jobs no matter what rather than phony climate change!
too bad obama didn't do something like jobs, jobs, jobs rather than cash for cloture votes!

Given the unknowns, including just the two mentioned in this article, I wouldn't get too excited at this point.

I just spent a half hour while commuting listening to 4 economists with differing theoretical backgrounds on BBC (via NPR) and none of them, when asked, had anything positive to say about this coming year, or the next few for that matter.

None of them expected the short term gains achieved via the "stimulus packages" to extend beyond the short term without further, similar stimulus packages put in place which all agreed would be essentially impossible. They cited entire industries that arose and grew during both the tech and real estate booms that will be changing so drastically in the future as to be almost unrecognizable. They cited as examples construction and retail distribution.

All of them agreed that we are in for at least 5 more years of economic chaos before something resembling stability returns. Debtor nations, such as the US and the UK, cannot continue on as they are. Creditor nations, while in need of the demand our country provides for their products, will eventually see greater demand within their own borders. Government services in countries such as the US will have to be cut back significantly.

None of them offered any particular recommendations other than, on a personal basis, it would be wise for people to be as frugal as possible.

In short, don't get too hung up on short term changes in statistics such as this one. All 4 of them agreed we are going to see ups and downs of this nature for years to come.

well as for this story i say its NOTHING BUT LIES. myself along with 43 other people signed up for unemployment on dec. 18th from my company.
we have no contracts and their are very few commercial/industrial building contracts to bid on.

Oh Obama must be doig his job. Bet U reps. and cons. hate that. boo hoo

I would stand up and say "YOU LIE!". Don't believe everything you read.

I can't believe that every time another 400,000 people lose there jobs the media reports that the economy is stable. When it gets to zero that will only mean the loses have stopped. When 400,000 are hired, then it will be stabilized.

I know a lot of people who are on unemployment because I've been having my house rehabbed. Very few of the people who worked on it would accept a check. They wanted cash because they didn't have to report that they had a job and mess up their unemployment.
I have a temporary job, and many of the people I work with are only working long enough to requalify for unemployment.
I genuinely feel bad for those who are out of work, but I think the numbers are inflated, since everyone I know who is on unemployment is working as much as they want to work.

It wouldn't matter if unemployment was to drop to zero.....
The "I hope Obama fail" agenda of Birthers, Teabaggers and the Right Wing Fascist Republican (Minority) Party cannot and will not accept the '08 Election results, and they will never accept or tolerate having an 'Obama' in the White House. Such is the nature of their 'Country First' patriotism.

The economy will bounce back. Government spending created many jobs in the Great Depression, Hoover Dam for example. Some paint that as socialism, others as a wise public investment -- saw a cool site; Balkingpoints ; incredible satellite view of earth