Confused, Perplexed, Nervous - Editorial Sentiment in All Media Are Cautious Even in the Face of Strong Market Performance According to TrendPointers.

NORTHBROOK, Ill. -- TrendPointers'[TM] newest economic/investment indicator, Sentiment Signals(c), captures public information sentiment at three levels of media -- gurus, general business, and mass media -- to anticipate how the market will react once emerging news becomes the headlines. This new and sensitive measure of sentiment influences has uncovered a conundrum: strong market activity and recent highs continues to suggest optimism even as a long parade of worrisome news has left media sentiment stuck in the doldrums.

Negative media sentiment has reigned for months. None of the three media sentiment measures has shown a majority of positive measure since TrendPointers began its tracking in September 2006. Geopolitical turmoil, rising energy prices, deficits, and the war in the Middle East have had almost everyone in the media, from economists to soothsayers, sending distinctly negative signals. These trends have continued into the month of May: the Guru Media registered a mere 31% positive against 69% uncertain or negative; the Business Media registered 42% positive against 58% uncertain or negative; and the Mass Media shows just 29% positive against a reading of 71% uncertain or negative.

The sentiments these numbers reflect have left many observers perplexed. While there has been some good news, notably the relative mildness of the downturn in the housing market and the apparent resilience of the stock markets, these positives have been overwhelmed by concerns about energy, debt, inflation, and war. Commentators wonder why any level of optimism persists.

In light of the foregoing, TrendPointers' conclusions are as follows:

* Strong market performance notwithstanding, the majority of technical indicators are still firmly on the negative side;

* This persistent uncertainty and negativity will give pause to individual investors, and may cause many to remain safely on the sidelines.

The full Sentiment Signal report is available at www.trendpointers.com.

www.trendpointers.com publishes a monthly report of emerging trend indicators for investment conditions and specific business sectors. TrendPointers, LLC is a business trend and research firm that investigates how the continuous flow of news and public information influences business decisions and impacts the financial markets. TrendPointers subscriptions are available at www.trendpointers.com -- providing investors and financial decision makers with a convenient single source to help anticipate potential market activity.