Since last fall, the jobless rate has been hovering around 4-1/2 percent, a relatively low level by historical standards, and it fell to 4.4 percent this past month.
The value of rating agencies and the ratings that they provide have also become the subject of critical review as a result of their performance in the run up to the global financial crisis. Reputable rating agencies issued Panglossian ratings for securities, such as collaterised debt obligations, the risks of which they did not properly understand.