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Ron Chalmers, The Edmonton Journal' l8 c: C! G* E- n' K) o
Published: Tuesday, April 03, 2007
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: o- f& b+ S$ REDMONTON - Most Albertans think this is a bad time to buy a house -- but a good time to buy major household items.4 k3 f" ~, y8 l# A8 x
5 l/ P9 i8 e0 i* t* k- Y& w: u2 zLeger Marketing surveyed 900 Alberta consumers for PricewaterhouseCoopers, in February, asking about the economy.
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Responses were compiled on a 200-point scale, with scores above 100 indicating optimism that conditions are good or will improve, and lower scores revealing pessimism that conditions are bad or will worsen.# Y; a% V" ~* t5 n
! ^! W! \* [# \2 MIs this a good time to buy a house in Alberta?
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No, not according to the sample's composite score of 71, showing significant doubt.; X6 a+ }! D l1 a( A
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Leger's report noted "the relatively pessimistic sentiment regarding interest rates, combined with the fact that the housing market in Alberta has boomed over the last two years."5 j! g0 Q# m" ^. P
9 ]8 s2 I* Z$ s5 C" P# bWhen asked specifically about interest rates, the sample scored 66, with a widely-shared belief that rates will rise.3 s9 s" Z; O4 Z( r8 X* } H" a1 k- t
h) N p) w- `' S, R3 N6 mA question about household incomes drew a score of 141, as most people expected incomes to rise.
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The sample scored 161 -- overwhelmingly affirmative -- when asked whether this is a good time to buy major household items "reflecting the fact that many Albertans are experiencing unprecedented levels of disposable income," the report said.1 y9 s1 ]8 j* u* t
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The prospect for future unemployment was highly optimistic at 127 -- although it's hard to imagine how unemployment could fall any lower.
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A related online survey of 420 Alberta business leaders similarly found optimism about fiscal conditions, current and future business conditions, and future unemployment -- all pushed by "the hot Alberta economy," the Leger report said.
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Among those several measures, it found that fiscal expectations were the least positive, "which may be attributed in part to the fact that Alberta has a new premier in place, creating uncertainty in relation to fiscal conditions if compared to the previous Klein administration.": Z6 U. C) q3 @* d K+ ]: }. Y
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The business sample, like the consumer sample, expected interest rates to rise.2 Y3 e2 c: u9 a& ?
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Barry James, PricewaterhouseCoopers' managing partner in Edmonton, urged borrowers to consider the risk of higher rates.
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- R, W3 D) W& ?% T. `; N"If you're going to make a large spend, ask yourself what one or two or three more points would cost," he suggested. |
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发表于 2007-4-3 06:55
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发表于 2007-4-4 14:25
晕啊~~我看晕了~~~
