Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke said on Tuesday that there were initial signs that the prolonged US recession may be easing sighting that "tentative signs that the sharp decline in economic activity may be slowing," from data on home sales, home-building and consumer spending, including sales of new motor vehicles.
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/tentative-signs-us-recession-easing-fed-chief-20090414-a6d5.html
