Put Protection for Dow 10,000

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- The Dow Jones Industrial Average finally crossed the 10,000 mark for the first time this year, marking a milestone indicating that investors see signs of an economic recovery.

Some driving forces behind this uptrend in the most well-renowned index included a boost in retail sales, a positive trend in unemployment and upbeat earnings reports. September retail sales shocked analysts by rising 0.6%, giving a sector that has been hurt by the consumer's desire to penny pinch. In regards to unemployment, the number of newly laid-off workers has dropped to the lowest level since the beginning of the year, indicating that companies are starting to ease up on handing out pink slips.

In the earnings game, JPMorgan Chase(JPM Quote) reported a $3.59 billion profit, while announcing that it has doubled the money set aside for home and credit loan defaults in the quarter. Aluminum maker Alcoa(AA Quote) shocked some analysts by reporting a quarterly profit through a combination of cost-cutting steps and higher aluminum prices. Lastly, chipmaker Intel(INTC Quote) beat analyst's expectations indicating that the PC market is slowly turning around.

Although there is a lot of optimism flooding Wall Street, investors must keep in mind that consumer spending is the bread and butter of the U.S. economy. Unemployment numbers are still far from improving and many suggest that total unemployment will surpass 10% before seeing a pull back.

Granted employers aren't laying off at the same pace as last year, but they aren't hiring either. Some economists think that the labor markets are so weak that the jobs lost during the recession will not fully return until 2012.