President Barack Obama today offered a guardedly upbeat assessment of the economy, saying there are signs of hope but warning that hard times continue and more needs to be done to turn things around.

“We’re starting to see progress,— Obama said following a White House meeting with his top economic advisers. “If we stick with it, if we don’t flinch in the face of some difficulties, then I feel absolutely convinced that we are going to get this economy back on track.—

Obama noted that the effects of the $787 billion stimulus bill are trickling out, helping provide a “glimmer of hope— as people begin to receive tax cuts and as infrastructure projects get under way.

But Obama noted that job losses continue and there remains “a lot of hardship— as people lose homes and as their savings deteriorate.

“We’ve still got a lot of work to do over the next several weeks,— Obama said. “You will be seeing additional actions by the administration.—