Clearly.

The ADP employment survey blew estimates out of the water. 206,000 jobs were added in November according to ADP, beating an estimate of 125,000. This continues a clear trend of job growth in the US. Not every week brings great news like this, but the trend persists.

(graph from Bloomberg)

Of course, just as we caution people not to overreact to any single item of bad news, over reacting to a single item of good news is just as bad. The overall trend, however, should be kept in mind and should assuage fears next time the news turns dramatic.

No surprises.

In an effort to make sure nobody at all was surprised, the bipartisan debt commission pre-announced their widely expected failure to agree on anything. Each side seems to offer enough to appear to compromise, without actually doing it. Motivation and reason are lacking. Predictably, this has led to quite a drop in stock prices.

Of course, people are not letting this get in the way of their holiday plans: AAA is projecting a rise in travel this holiday. Thats no surprise - the economy has been having a steady tap of good news for months now!