You may have noticed that the presidential election wasn’t the only news last week. On Friday, the U.S. Labor Department reported a 14-year high in jobless claims—we’re now at 6.5 percent. And the American auto industry sounded an alarm, posting billions of dollars worth of losses, and appealing to Congressional leaders for aid.

In Chicago, Barack Obama responded to the dismal economic news at his first press conference as President-elect. Standing behind him was a wide-ranging team of financial advisors. Business contributor David Greising was also there, among the reporters.