This is in spite of gasoline rebounding 10 to 15 cents in January. This also squares with the jobless claims data.

By our reckoning, ethanol has added about 20 cents a gallon to the cost of gasoline here in California.

A decline of more than 40 cents (a gallon) in gasoline prices this month and the improving job outlook have combined to help restore consumers' confidence.

A decline of more than 40 cents in gasoline prices this month and the improving job outlook have combined to help restore consumers' confidence.

Overall, this was kind of a vanilla report. These are solid numbers, but the market had already absorbed the fact May was a good month.

The first half of the decade has not been good for Pittsburgh and Southwestern Pennsylvania in the sense of economic growth. But for this year, I believe we have turned the corner.