Some good news for everyone out there looking for a job: unemployment fell to a two-year low in March, down to 8.8%.

While an 8.8% percent unemployment rate is still nothing to celebrate, it is a clear indication that we are headed in the right direction. Companies hired new employees at the fastest two-month pace since before the recession began.

According to the ADP Employer Services Report, the private sector added 201,000 new jobs in March, basically in-line with 203,000 new jobs that analysts had been expecting to see.

February's figures were revised downwards to 208,000 from a previously estimated 216,000 new jobs.

March's employment gains bring the four-month average of new jobs to 211,000, more than enough to keep the labor track on path. Analysts estimate that the economy needs to add 125,000 new jobs each month in order to keep up with population growth, so any jobs over that figure result in a lower unemployment figures.

This past week's data point of significance for investors has to be the February nonfarm payroll report by the U.S. Department of Labor, which indicated that the U.S. economy created 192,000 jobs last month -- roughly in-line with the consensus estimate.

The good news was complemented by the fact that January's job gain was revised up to 63,000 from 36,000 and December's to 152,000 from 121,000. January's low job tally was probably skewed lower by the winter blizzards and storms that hit the Northeast and Midwest; hence, it's safe to say that the economy is creating jobs. What it needs now is sustained demand to drive GDP growth, which will lead to stronger job growth.

Most of us did not expect a sharp turnaround on the employment front in February. For the better part of two years, we've had painfully slow growth in employment. Then, in February, with many people snowed in for most of the time, things changed dramatically: Nonfarm payrolls increased by a whopping 192,000 and the unemployment rate dropped to 8.9%, as reported in Reuters.

The numbers were impressive. Private sector jobs increased to 222,000, up from 68,000 in January. Private service sector jobs increased to 152,000 from 33,000 in January. Government employment fell by 30,000. The average work week was steady. Hourly earnings rose one penny.

Is the glass half full of half empty? This is a perennial debate.

Those who are bearish say the market has gone too far to the upside; investors are shrugging off the latest debt scare in Europe; we have rising global interest rates; there's a potential meltdown in the municipal bond market; earnings may disappoint; the VIX is too low; and on and on we go.

For the bulls, the S&P 500 has traded above its 50-day moving average for 94 consecutive sessions, according to Birinyi Associates. This is the first time this has happened in five years. Many analysts consider stock valuations to be at relatively low levels. The glass for them is still half full.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless benefits dropped 34,000 to a seasonally adjusted 388,000 in the past week. Economists expected a smaller drop to 413,000 claims. Not only was the drop larger than expected, but it was also the lowest level since July 2008.

The four-week average of new claims, which helps smooth out data, fell by 12,500 to 414,000 -- also the lowest level since July 2008. In the week ending December 18, the number of people continuing to receive state unemployment benefits increased 57,000 to 4.13 million. The four-week average of these same claims dropped 37,50 to 4.12 million, the lowest level since November 2008.

The S&P 500 is now at a two-year high, closing last week at 1,240.40. The index last hit that level in September 2008.

Some analysts believe that the market trades ahead of what it sees in the economy six months out. If that's true, Wall Street expects improved employment, a moderately rising GDP, and early signs of a real estate recovery.

Australia's economy added 54,600 jobs in October. What, you ask, does that have to do with U.S. investing?

Well, adjusting for Australia's population, November's job growth down under is the equivalent of a 728,000 monthly job gain in the United States -- in other words, a Roaring 90s-level monthly job growth performance.

The Labor Department issued its Jobs Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) today, as reported by CNBC.com. Here are some available stats:

• Business and government advertised 3.4 million jobs at the end of October, up 12% from the previous month.
• The number of available jobs increased by about 1 million or 44% since July 2009. This was well below the 4.4 million advertised in December 2007.
• There were on average 4.4 workers for each available job in October, down slightly from the 4.9 the previous month.
• In 2007 the number stood at 1.8 workers for each available job.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will appear on 60 Minutes this Sunday to defend his controversial stimulus package, dubbed QE2, of buying $600 billion of Treasury securities.

In the CBS interview, Bernanke explains his intentions with QE2 and defends the notion that this stimulus will not lead to inflation. He also told CBS that he is not ruling out the purchase of more securities.

This morning, my colleague Connie Madon reported that initial jobless claims showed a disappointing gain of just 39,000 jobs and an unemployment rate at a seven-month high of 9.8%. Remember that the Street expected job growth of 144,000. This disappointing data has helped push the Dow Jones as we head through the lunch hour. I wanted to take a look at a couple tidbits of news from the report, one that I find especially disturbing.

In a breakthrough on the jobs front, the U.S. added 93,000 private sector jobs from October to November, according to the latest ADP National Employment Report released today. The previous month's report was revised upward to 82,000 from 43,000.

November's gain was the largest private sector rise in three years. It is also the tenth month in which job growth has exceeded 47,000.

By sectors, gains were as follows:

Will home prices keep falling? The answer is yes. But why this is happening? The reason lies in high unemployment and the increased number of foreclosures.

Here are some analysts' views on the market, as reported by CNNMoney:

• Fiserv, a market analytics company, had forecast price gains of 4% in February. Their latest prediction is for a 7.1% drop in prices.