The worst may be over for the U.S. economy.

Two new reports by the Labor Department show that fewer people are filing for jobless claims, and neither inflation nor deflation seem to be a problem.

Some economists had been worried about a so-called Double-Dip Recession, where a second downturn comes on the heels of the first. But the evidence is growing that a second recession is unlikely, and that's good news for both businesses and consumers.

Billionaire real estate investor Sam Zell told Bloomberg News Thursday that the U.S. economy will continue to improve and that high-quality property is "intrinsically valuable."