 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Ron Chalmers, The Edmonton Journal0 w, W/ L4 A+ {3 V
Published: Tuesday, April 03, 2007+ r- f. {' a6 k! _. j7 M
' w, E' u5 [+ D3 l& ^( H) ^
EDMONTON - Most Albertans think this is a bad time to buy a house -- but a good time to buy major household items.# L+ d; B% j" L* V# e8 k
' u& G2 `( J: P* D) Z" V3 C9 H& z
Leger Marketing surveyed 900 Alberta consumers for PricewaterhouseCoopers, in February, asking about the economy.
1 N4 i" ]: U% W# L6 j6 ?8 u! O4 \2 {. [ q6 R/ a" n" `! l6 l1 I* |
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.
& \2 `: E. W+ W$ z5 S: I8 o/ Q: I# C8 \; _. Y6 O: p$ \
Is this a good time to buy a house in Alberta?, l4 F$ v8 \; u+ j
[7 `7 f7 \6 }* q- w
No, not according to the sample's composite score of 71, showing significant doubt.
* _. J! m1 [8 ?9 b1 X
& a/ K5 c* W/ Y7 r, n$ CLeger'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."% F% H9 d! u: {1 D9 R
2 u" ^5 T5 R+ `; b/ }
When asked specifically about interest rates, the sample scored 66, with a widely-shared belief that rates will rise.+ d9 {( ~# w. D, ]. h
3 a K. A- U/ P
A question about household incomes drew a score of 141, as most people expected incomes to rise.
8 z! O( R' g% }. Q- g; h1 v; m# h/ p; P0 K
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 L- q4 Y0 `2 ~+ D6 g
4 Y+ n+ g Y9 {7 ?. VThe prospect for future unemployment was highly optimistic at 127 -- although it's hard to imagine how unemployment could fall any lower.0 d% x; J/ `9 {% k$ h
, n3 a5 X+ u0 y( l6 F# B
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.1 ~+ x5 A7 {5 T$ i1 a0 k4 c
$ y; E7 X. N% c* T* x
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."/ W# l( T' u2 E' ^+ G; E2 |0 M2 e* h
$ r+ m) R# E( R! b
The business sample, like the consumer sample, expected interest rates to rise.) l/ h W7 f- T) a( [ u
; \2 `4 o4 J( K$ n! u0 L
Barry James, PricewaterhouseCoopers' managing partner in Edmonton, urged borrowers to consider the risk of higher rates.
8 \8 A; _ X+ _4 C- f z, U; h9 c
6 q3 R) }$ I" A" t( I$ W"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~~~
