The nation’s economic picture has continued to look troubled as of late, with relief in oil prices being undercut by continued sharp downturns in employment and housing, as well as growing inflation. The sluggish job market did see a slight uptick last week, as the number of workers filing for unemployment benefits fell slightly from a six-year high. According to the Department of Labor, 450,000 American workers filed initial unemployment claims during the week ending August 9th—down from 455,000 new claims during the previous week, and the first week-to-week drop in claims since early July. The gains in employment, however,…