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Ron Chalmers, The Edmonton Journal
h Y8 N% k+ Z1 j& }5 JPublished: Tuesday, April 03, 2007
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EDMONTON - Most Albertans think this is a bad time to buy a house -- but a good time to buy major household items.
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Leger Marketing surveyed 900 Alberta consumers for PricewaterhouseCoopers, in February, asking about the economy.6 f. X" ~/ i8 p- p( P
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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.
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3 s0 u/ ?5 b1 f' A, v- a4 uIs this a good time to buy a house in Alberta?
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8 `9 | j7 c* p! X" tNo, not according to the sample's composite score of 71, showing significant doubt.
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0 Z0 i. `! K$ r& h% ]& i8 }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."
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When asked specifically about interest rates, the sample scored 66, with a widely-shared belief that rates will rise.
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A question about household incomes drew a score of 141, as most people expected incomes to rise.
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. b, i! V, J2 H1 ?; AThe 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.3 Q7 j- ?' x5 s4 W' z$ d( G
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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.0 U9 Z W% s3 v
) s4 z% l& b# k; EA 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. d5 X6 t, X* t" o/ k: k6 S! }
+ I, }( l3 |' s! A9 Y5 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."( D! V; ~$ t3 w- S( U. \! ~7 n9 ^
m' t9 w* C6 x8 t" i5 JThe business sample, like the consumer sample, expected interest rates to rise.
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3 p. s$ P: ^! Z) u4 {' rBarry James, PricewaterhouseCoopers' managing partner in Edmonton, urged borrowers to consider the risk of higher rates.
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! e* K- e- t. `% k+ O( @/ |/ a"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~~~
