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[TTHQ Staff]

INVESTOR OPTIMISM TAKES A TUMBLE

Two in Three Investors Say It Is Still a Good Time to Invest

Investors Remain Concerned about Higher Gas Prices at the Pump

Investors Say Residential Real Estate Conditions Are Getting Worse, Not Better

NEW YORK, February 26, 2007 – Investor optimism took a tumble in February falling back
to the level it reached in December 2006, according to the UBS/Gallup Index of Investor
Optimism. The Index dropped 13 points to 90, erasing all of its gains from January and
bringing it back below 100, where it has generally been since December 2000. The Index is
conducted monthly and had a baseline score of 124 when it was established in October
1996.

Despite sharply lower gasoline prices today compared with summer of 2006, energy prices
continue to top investors' concerns. Fifty-eight percent of investors believe energy prices
are hurting the investment climate "a lot," essentially the same as the fifty-seven percent
who held this view in January. Investors also expect gasoline prices to increase in the
coming months. Today, investors report paying an average of $2.21 per gallon of gasoline.
Over the next three months, they expect the average price to increase to $2.39. Sixty-seven
percent of investors said that lower gas prices have had little impact on their view of the
future course of the economy.

Investor concerns about energy prices may be closely related to another area of worry. A
majority of investors (54 percent) believe international tensions such as those in the Middle
East, are hurting the US investment climate "a lot.” This compares to 50 percent who held
this view last month.

"Investors are seeing a continuing soft housing market, some signs of weaker corporate
earnings and some lingering inflation pressure. These factors, along with an unsettled
geopolitical environment, have contributed to their growing concerns with the investment
climate," said Mike Ryan, Head of UBS Wealth Management Research US.

Real estate continues to weigh heavily on investors' minds, and their perceptions suggest
that conditions are continuing to deteriorate in that sector. In February, 63 percent of
investors said that they believe conditions in the residential real estate market nationwide
are getting worse, about the same as the 65 percent who held this view in January.
Similarly, 56 percent of respondents said that conditions in their local real estate markets
are worsening, up from the 50 percent who felt this way in January.

Full report at the New Market Analysis Area