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While the rest of 2008 looks tough and the fire sale of Bear Stearns to JPMorgan Chase has added to pessimism, the darkest clouds may be lifting on the horizon. Job growth has slowed, start-up companies are spending more cautiously, and early-stage investors who nurture the start-ups are growing more frugal. Since World War II, the buying power of most American families grew while the economy did. But in 2007, the median family seems to have made less.