Not that he's been the most accurate with his predictions, but still encouraging news. The downside is that he too sees a stubbornly slow recovery.
Taking questions following a speech at the Brookings Institution, Bernanke gave his most explicit endorsement yet to the idea that the economy bottomed out sometime this summer and has begun growing again, at least as measured by gross domestic product.
"Even though from a technical perspective the recession is very likely over at this point, it's still going to feel like a very weak economy for some time, as many people will still find that their job security and their employment status is not what they wish it was," Bernanke said.
