Jobs data was reported this morning, and the verdict is in: Increasing unemployment is the trend. The Wall Street Journal reports on unemployment:
The U.S. unemployment rate posted its sharpest one-month increase in 22 years last month, suggesting U.S. consumers already facing a housing slump and soaring gasoline prices now confront growing pressure from a weakening jobs market.
Even if we are not in a recession — and even if we manage to avoid one — it is a good idea to treat your personal finances as though that is where we are headed. If you are worried about your job, now …read more

Alan Greenspan is saying that by the end of the year home prices will be well on their way to recovery. However, it doesn’t mean that things are going to stabilize immediately. Bloomberg reports on home prices and the economy:
“Once the markets start to stabilize, especially if the real economies don’t go into a severe recession,” then “we can expect a recovery to begin to take place,” Greenspan, 82, said via satellite from Washington. “It will be slow, it will be hesitant.”
image credit: U.S. government