Aspire Misery Index For the Week Ended March 20, 2009

For the week, the DJIA closed up 0.8%, marking the first consecutive week gain since the week ended May 2, 2008. The Samp;P gained 1.6%, while the Nasdaq gained 1.8%.

middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Industrial Output ndash; The Federal Reserve reported that industrial output dropped by 1.4% in February. Expectations were for a 1.2% decline. middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Capacity Utilization ndash; Fell to 67.4% last month, the lowest level on record since 1948.

middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Profit Warnings ndash; Energy Conversion Devices, Gray Television, Xerox, Sony Ericsson,

middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Initial jobless claims came in a 646,000, down 12,000, while continuing claims came in at 5.47 million. Weekly claims were less than expected while continuing claims came in higher than expected.

middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Job Cuts ndash; Energy Conversion Devices (about 75 jobs), Baker Hughes (another 1,500 jobs), Raleigh Media (78 jobs), Nokia (1,700 jobs), Lexington Dispatch (83 jobs), Crane amp; Co. (70 jobs), Caterpillar (laying off 2,454 workers), nbsp;American Power Conversion (75 jobs), Anchorage Daily News (45 jobs), Pacific Capital (laying off 300 workers), Timken (65 jobs), Finnair (temporary layoff of 1,600 workers), Day-Brite Group (45 jobs),nbsp;nbsp;

middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; State Unemployment ndash; Washingtonrsquo;s unemployment rate hit 8.4% in February, Tennesseersquo;s jobless rate hit 9.1%, Minnesotarsquo;s jobless rate hit 8.1%, Massachusetts hit 7.8%, Ohio hit 9.4%, Californiarsquo;s jobless rate hit 10.5%, nbsp;Rhode Island hit 10.5%, Arizona hit 7.4%,

middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Ratings Cuts ndash; Samp;P cut ATamp;T, Fitch cut Hovnanian, Samp;P cut Energy Partners, Samp;P cut General Growth, Samp;P cut Huntsman, Samp;P cut Samp;T Bancorp, Moodyrsquo;s cut Harrahrsquo;s, Samp;P cut Quiksilver, Moodyrsquo;s cut Saks, Samp;P cut Textron, Moodyrsquo;s cut ArvinMeritor, Samp;P cut Six Flags, Fitch cut Kennametal, Moodyrsquo;s cut Principal Financial, Samp;P cut MediaNews, Samp;P cut Freedom, Moodyrsquo;s cut MGM Mirage, Samp;P cut MGM Mirage, Moodyrsquo;s cut Dycom, Samp;P cut Doral Financial, Samp;P cut OfficeMax,

middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Chapter 11 ndash; Chemtura (US units), the Greenbrier, Fairchild,

middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Banks ndash; FirstCity Bank in Georgia was shut down, making it thenbsp;eighteenth failure this year of a federally insured bank (the total in 2008 was 25). The deposit insurance fund, which is that lsquo;security blanketrsquo; offered up to banking customers by the FDIC, is down to $18.9 billion as of December 31, compared with $52.4 billion at the end of 2007. The FDIC had 252 banks and thrifts on its troubled institutions list at the end of 2008, up from 171 in the third quarter. US Banks lost $32.1 billion in the fourth quarter of 2008.

middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Lending ndash; The Treasury Department said that lending on regular business loans and on business loans backed by real estate declined in January by 41% and 45% respectively.

middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Credit Cards ndash; Creditnbsp; card interest is up for the fourth consecutive week, with the average APR at 11.62%, with balance transfer cards edging up to 13.15%.

middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Home Loans ndash; About $1.4 trillion in home loans were made last year, down about a third from 2007.

middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Mortgage Fraud ndash; The Mortgage Asset Research Institute reported that the number of mortgage fraud reports among loans made last year grew by 26% on a Y/Y basis.

middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Auto Loans ndash; The percentage of auto loans past due 60 days or more rose 8.9% in the Q4 of 2008 on a Y/Y basis to 0.86%.

middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Airlines ndash; Passenger revenue fell 19% in February,

middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Closing the Doors ndash; Lexington Dispatch closing two North Carolina plants,