 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Ron Chalmers, The Edmonton Journal
) f0 T V8 J; p& ^0 a9 LPublished: Tuesday, April 03, 2007: F; S( }" I' n8 l9 T$ V
8 X. y* p' B7 Z0 ~6 ^* @9 [EDMONTON - Most Albertans think this is a bad time to buy a house -- but a good time to buy major household items.% ^8 V) G0 g$ h0 f7 N2 k
* e% }- H. f3 s+ Q4 A) A+ VLeger Marketing surveyed 900 Alberta consumers for PricewaterhouseCoopers, in February, asking about the economy.
9 P4 @6 B; ^7 k6 p) O* [
$ E& V" @6 q, G- {9 MResponses 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.0 |9 ^6 }* n* V' w! ?, ?# q. y
7 u7 V- @7 a: O) ^$ d
Is this a good time to buy a house in Alberta?
. |" d3 T1 e8 N; J0 p9 A
" n- C6 q# V; {$ B! E2 yNo, not according to the sample's composite score of 71, showing significant doubt.
; A( g2 }# \, x+ P) b3 U5 _& H0 `1 p
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."
! E9 z2 n* T8 L8 ?2 m$ ~( R* y- C' `! l9 e1 l7 N) I) ~. N% p5 z0 g
When asked specifically about interest rates, the sample scored 66, with a widely-shared belief that rates will rise.0 B6 M, i8 B5 f" }( ~$ `7 x0 `
2 w2 w. f- t/ @5 {2 C. RA question about household incomes drew a score of 141, as most people expected incomes to rise.1 t& K. h( W2 u; g8 C7 Q
: ?& G; J7 f5 k$ c7 W. C4 U2 GThe 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.
/ c4 E4 x* {' ?6 M8 O8 Y9 w: t. U) d9 d( Z9 q5 h: V% M2 J( N
The prospect for future unemployment was highly optimistic at 127 -- although it's hard to imagine how unemployment could fall any lower.
7 M6 ?3 K/ t( g. B3 | f2 M
! p! F9 x% T- p$ O7 e: q7 LA 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.1 V# U" s7 C$ A
& }9 m) n o$ }6 X2 l/ ?5 dAmong 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."5 |- B! m2 x. j; I5 b2 ~' h
! f7 d7 R$ e! y4 wThe business sample, like the consumer sample, expected interest rates to rise.
- P4 x. h3 S% r1 S. E2 ^' f" r) `& m6 H7 n1 K
Barry James, PricewaterhouseCoopers' managing partner in Edmonton, urged borrowers to consider the risk of higher rates./ D( b# k* E2 C
+ M J m+ N4 H& `"If you're going to make a large spend, ask yourself what one or two or three more points would cost," he suggested. |
|
狗仔卡
发表于 2007-4-3 06:55
提升卡
置顶卡
沉默卡
喧嚣卡
变色卡
显身卡
发表于 2007-4-4 14:25
晕啊~~我看晕了~~~
