Fresh data showed the US economy limping toward the end of 2010, its fitness much improved in the last year, but with the recovery still hobbled by high unemployment.

When President Barack Obama gave an end-of-year press conference on Wednesday, he insisted the world’s largest economy had passed “the crisis point.”

A slew of unemployment, inflation, consumer spending and factory data appeared to back up that assessment, but it also highlighted that there is still considerable room for improvement.

Throughout the last year, new weekly unemployment claims which indicate the number of Americans who turn to the government for aid have banded between 400,000 and 500,000 – too high to signal falling unemployment.

Last week, the new claims – an important indicator of the vital jobs market – were at the bottom of that range, at 410,000, boding well for 2011, according to experts.

“The pace of labour market improvement is picking up,” said Nicholas Tenev of Barclays Capital.

And those who are in work appear to be spending a bit more.

The Department of Commerce reported that consumer spending increased in November by $43.3 billion from the previous month, up 0.4 per cent for the fifth consecutive month of gains. The rise came in tandem with a 0.3 per cent jump in personal income.