Housing Market Data Give Mixed Signals in January

There were positive items reported about the housing market in December; however, there were also some important negative signals in the data. Dean Baker was recently on PBS' Nightly Business Report talking about foreclosure and right to rent.

Data Suggest Long-term Unemployment Substantially Higher than Official Level

The recession pushed the share of the long-term unemployed to over 40 percent throughout 2010 and 2011. But, a new CEPR report shows this standard measure estimate understates the extent of long-term hardship in the U.S. According to new jobs numbers, unemployment duration measures dropped slightly in December, but did not completely reverse the jump seen in October.