This morning the Labor Department reported the number of people applying for unemployment benefits fell by 26,000 last week to 350,000, the best number since March of 2008. Analysts point to the auto industry's seasonal production schedule as the source of the weekly dip.

We're getting some new data this morning about the housing market. The foreclosure listing company RealtyTrac says there was an uptick in foreclosure activity last month, but it's down compared with a year ago. Which brings us to the eternal question: Has the housing market finally hit bottom?

The latest news in the housing market: New home construction fell last month, but building permits were up to their highest level since 2008.

Housing prices in March were up a tiny bit from the month before, but it is the first time in seven months that the data hasn't shown a decline.

Connecticut contractor Peter Schneider is surviving the recession thanks to his hard-won skills, hard-working attitude, and a little bit of luck.

Slightly stronger pre-loved home sales made 2011 a better year for realtors, but a “shadow inventory” still lurks.

Gerard Cassidy thinks today's NAR Pending Home Sales index numbers are a sign that 2012 is the year the housing market recovers.

Home sales fell again in October, with one bright spot in the mix being the rise in rental rates.

The S&P Case-Schiller Index is out today, and it shows home prices in October fell in 19 out of 20 major cities.

This final note today. We added jobs in September, but we're losing something else in this economy: Homeowners. The Census Bureau said earlier …