A mixture of bad economic news is suppressing the stock market today.

First, disappointing earnings from blue chips like 3M and Johnson & Johnson caused investors to retreat from the 12,000 mark they appeared to be rapidly approaching. The Dow, Nasdaq, and S&P are all down at least a half-percent as I write this.

Second, it has been revealed that home prices in November dropped 4.3% from the year before, as unemployment and foreclosures were on the rise. Certain regions saw even bigger loses, including 11% in the region that includes Colorado and Nevada.

Why the drop? A toxic mixture of 9.8% unemployment, mounting foreclosures, and just 1.7% of Americans saying they intended to purchase a home. That last figure matched a level in 2009 that was the lowest in four decades.

Which just goes to show: For all of the talk of economic recovery out there, we’re still really struggling. A slightly increasing GDP and generally-rallying market simply haven’t translated to lower unemployment and a better housing market. We’re still in the shitter when it comes to the economic situation for most Americans.