This recession (despite being officially over) has been dragging like a hangover from hell. If you've had enough and you're shopping like it's 1999 this holiday weekend, you might have a reason to be optimistic.

Corporate profits are up, hiring seems to be making a (slow) comeback, and an economic recovery “is definitely happening,” reports LA Biz Observed's Mark Lacter. He cites these feel-good factors:

Much-improved prospects for the holiday shopping season (which follows a much-improved back-to-school shopping season), pent-up consumer demand after many months of U.S. households paying off their debts, fewer Americans applying for jobless benefits, recent stock market gains, new surveys this month showing a pickup in hiring, better-than-expected increases in personal income, and record-setting corporate profits during the summer.

Fell better? No? Loosen that belt.

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