While the initial jobless claims have trended up over many weeks in this recession, the number has finally dropped by 12,000. Overall claims are still up and the unemployment number is unlikely to drop. That would require the economy to first hit equilibrium where initial jobless claims reach 0. This is very unlikely to occur in 2009 and might take until 2010 or 2011 for the overall economy to start creating more jobs than are lost.

But this is a positive sign and might mean the worst of the recession is behind us. Once we hit bottom, the economy will be back on its way up in the right direction!