Signs of financial improvement are what everybody wants, but it's been some time to see any. Today delivers one small gem. Well, kind of. The unemployment rate inched down to 10% in November, down from 10.2% in October. The number is still huge, but at least the unemployment rate took a decline hiatus in November.

In December 2007 -- the beginning of the recession -- the number of unemployed persons was 7.5 million, and the jobless rate was 4.9%.


Read the announcement from the Labor Department here.