Government data released today showed the number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits fell 21,000 last week. In the week ending September 19, initial claims for state unemployment insurance dropped from a revised 551,000 in the previous week to a seasonally adjusted 530,000.

Continued claims of workers still on jobless aid after an initial week of benefits fell by 123,000 to 6.138 million in the week ending Sept. 12. This has beat most analysts expectations, and while one week of positive news certainly does not indicate a trend, it is a start in what is expected to be a long recovery.