Another economic indicator to add to the mix:

Sales of new homes rose 6.2% in October from September, the Census Bureau says. According to the Associated Press, the 430,000 annual rate was "the highest level in more than a year."

Earlier today we heard that jobless claims have fallen (good news), personal spending has gone up (good news) and that orders for durable goods have declined (bad news).

Planet Money tries to make sense of what's happening with the economy here.