Is this a start of an economic turnaround?

I do not know if this means anything but it is interesting to hear that some banks and businesses like Citibank and GE are saying that they have better than expected quarterly  earnings and that we are into the 5^th straight week of a stronger market on Wall street. That some of these banks with the better earnings are not going to need TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program). Does this mean that the worst of the recession is behind us, does this mean that the housing market will recover?  I don't know.  I do know that there are still many people who are unemployed and employment figures may get worse, credit card defaults are also on a rise and we still have a record amount of housing foreclosures and that this may continue to worsen.  CNN has reported that people still are not buying cars and if they do buy cars they will not purchase American cars especially if the manufacture declares bankruptcy.  Being a realtor outside of NYC, our area has been hit very hard with this turn down in the economy.  Westchester is so dependent upon people who work in NYC in the financial, advertising, and the banking sectors.  I know many people who have lost their jobs, homes, and insurance and are working numerous part time jobs to keep their families afloat.  The unemployment rate in the New York City tri-state area is 7.8% according to NYS Department of Labor and this is just the NYC area and that there are places in this country where the unemployment rate is closer to 22%.  I feel that the real turn around with the economy will come when the unemployment rate starts to fall and people are getting new jobs.  When I hear that news I will know the worst of this recession is behind us.