Too bad Congress refuses to help do anything about unemployment, or we'd be back at 6% by now.
Those unemployment numbers also means people who were not counted (long-term unemployed), are encouraged, and getting back into workforce trying to look for work.
Best news is in housing:
New housing purchases up 3.6% in July, matching 2-year high, exceeding expectations
Purchases of new U.S. homes rose more than projected in July to match a two-year high, a sign the industry that helped trigger the recession is recovering.
Sales climbed 3.6 percent to a 372,000 annual pace, following a 359,000 rate in June that was higher than previously estimated, figures from the Commerce Department showed today in Washington. Last month’s rate was the same as in May, which was the strongest since April 2010. The median forecast of 72 economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for a rise to 365,000.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/201...-two-year-high