Dr. Mike Walden, North Carolina Cooperative Extension economist in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at N.C. State University, responds:

"I think it's a matter - and I think it's really subtle, but it's important - of things still getting bad, but they're getting bad at a slower rate. Think of the recession as you backing up a car. And the more you back that car up, the deeper the recession. However, eventually you're going to come to a stop, and before you come to a stop, you're going to slow that car down. That's sort of where we are right now. The recession is still going on. We're still going to lose jobs. We're still going to lose income, but we're losing them right now, we think, at a slower rate. And before we do reach a bottom, that rate has to slow. So these, I think, are the good signs. Now, what are some of those suggestions that things are getting bad but at a slower rate. Well, one big, important one is first-time unemployment claims. They're still rising, but they're rising at a slower rate. This doesn't mean the unemployment rate is going to go down, but it's going to go up at a slower rate. Home buying activity has picked up. Orders from factories are up. The stock market certainly has had a good run. However, one very important point is that all of these gains are from very, very low levels. Still, though, most economists have forecast that the economy in this quarter, the second part of the first half, is going to slip; probably slip in the third quarter. Potentially, the economy will show a growth phase in the last quarter. But again, the unemployment rate will still likely climb the rest of this year."