Today's update on wholesale prices and new filings for unemployment benefits strengthens the case for thinking that the worst of the economic crisis is behind us. Or perhaps it's better to say that the numbers du jour don't derail the case for optimism. But as we opined yesterday, and repeat today, there's likely to be a longer-than-usual gap between the recession's trough and a return of what the crowd recognizes as a sustained rebound in growth of some magnitude.