Georgia Tech Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts

"Over last month, we had an increase in consumer confidence; we had an increase in consumer spending and retail sales; the purchasing managers' index was up; auto sales were up; and home sales were up," said Thomas "Danny" Boston, professor in the School of Economics, discussing the September jobs and unemployment reports. "Now, what's unique about this time around is that they're all happening at the same time, and so in a more coordinated fashion, and that's why you see this significant unemployment report." Source: CNN Newsroom, October 5, 2012