 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Ron Chalmers, The Edmonton Journal
8 W' N; u- l" c+ E, {+ q5 O# i: P0 QPublished: Tuesday, April 03, 2007
" g, V) t$ E! W8 }& `3 s. u
. I$ {$ w1 L `5 r m" u9 UEDMONTON - Most Albertans think this is a bad time to buy a house -- but a good time to buy major household items." U5 o4 Y6 H0 a/ S' F
5 s7 Q4 C$ Z9 l! A& U& U
Leger Marketing surveyed 900 Alberta consumers for PricewaterhouseCoopers, in February, asking about the economy.
8 B8 w$ b9 P. C1 Z- q
. j( \. v+ ], W1 R" z1 bResponses 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 ?4 L& F+ H% a
8 l1 Z3 h, b/ z1 Q# A
Is this a good time to buy a house in Alberta?* m; a$ q/ l- N0 [6 F
h& r( `7 T/ D: u# ]6 k3 ]No, not according to the sample's composite score of 71, showing significant doubt.
( z4 ~* W* X; ^7 g8 r! t* y8 Z
/ n" k2 Q2 L3 t$ dLeger'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."
d* G" k, H% Q# f6 a; M9 P
- Y9 @: @: B/ f* B2 W+ L0 gWhen asked specifically about interest rates, the sample scored 66, with a widely-shared belief that rates will rise.
( E$ G& x! z, P- _
' i$ f3 [) u- k; mA question about household incomes drew a score of 141, as most people expected incomes to rise.% @1 T) c- ^3 S+ w% g/ S0 g% n# G3 b( \
* u* c' E0 ~3 L
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.
5 e, C1 h; s2 k* D. G# f1 r( m3 ~ s. R" y- g
The prospect for future unemployment was highly optimistic at 127 -- although it's hard to imagine how unemployment could fall any lower.% u2 z& Q# i) G
; [; m1 S, H+ _; J4 f; p9 mA 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.% `7 A/ W% f! P& e8 E9 N
" i( n7 T* W2 I0 tAmong 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."0 Y* v) ~& l& p7 ^) w; L" E
7 i; B# ` H8 f. F, R" X! l
The business sample, like the consumer sample, expected interest rates to rise.8 U @) Z) o& u; N3 B8 U9 z: N( M
; |7 S" t0 ^; C" T" o6 }
Barry James, PricewaterhouseCoopers' managing partner in Edmonton, urged borrowers to consider the risk of higher rates.
+ J# I& h5 M7 M" O- o( y. \. E. D Z% N+ E5 V
"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~~~
