It's trendy to be frugal now -- canning your own jellies, altering your own clothes -- but commentator Gustavo Arellano reminds listeners that Mexicans were being frugal long before the recession.

Cocoa beans to corn, commodity prices are on the rise. This is good news for investors who are looking for another place to put their money instead of the stock markets. But it's bad news for companies, particularly small businesses, who need to figure out how to balance costs and profits.

Unemployment claims at the state level dropped, perhaps indicating a small recovery. Another sign of the recovery? Increasing competition for top-level managerial positions, which may trickle down to lower-level jobs too.