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Ron Chalmers, The Edmonton Journal
+ Y* D+ t; T5 h1 A+ F- {Published: Tuesday, April 03, 20070 S1 y! f1 t% |0 S
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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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! d5 _$ k5 ^; G* |- ]Leger 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. o* ^$ V4 w- u1 F/ f
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Is this a good time to buy a house in Alberta?3 @$ e+ }0 ]/ h5 q0 U+ N
! x: f, Q5 M7 A9 ]7 tNo, not according to the sample's composite score of 71, showing significant doubt.
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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."- ~: x% M2 _7 f! O7 n
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When asked specifically about interest rates, the sample scored 66, with a widely-shared belief that rates will rise.7 w, X$ l. X5 J6 d1 S
+ \5 t3 u/ O) \2 W }$ @8 Y( OA question about household incomes drew a score of 141, as most people expected incomes to rise.. M% f* H j$ S+ Y1 \) S' S
/ |+ W) N" M5 B: R1 t: xThe 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.8 I5 N1 u4 ?4 { E) ?" E8 ]
6 p ]- Q% f: |* s4 U( J, cThe prospect for future unemployment was highly optimistic at 127 -- although it's hard to imagine how unemployment could fall any lower.& [! ]0 v6 M, B, A
# x% U0 D2 J& GA 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."$ y( {3 L! V, S! T
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The business sample, like the consumer sample, expected interest rates to rise.
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$ O* {8 w; A& V1 x+ w* p: Q5 ^% cBarry James, PricewaterhouseCoopers' managing partner in Edmonton, urged borrowers to consider the risk of higher rates.; g" |1 @* ?$ E) s. |5 b4 x
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"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~~~
