Expert says recession is easing in state

A well-known economist says the worst of the recession may be behind us. David Hale the Council of State Governments Eastern Regional Conference that home prices in Vermont have leveled off and the mortgage default rate is the lowest in the country. Hale said the recovery will pick up if confidence in it builds and people begin to spend. He predicted that the recent gains in the stock market will spur that confidence. And economists say because Vermont was slow to go into the recession it may be slow to get out of it. However, the state was among the last to feel the effects of the poor economy, so it may take a bit longer before we see any positive changes.