 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Ron Chalmers, The Edmonton Journal8 u! |+ e7 J$ r; z. \7 k
Published: Tuesday, April 03, 2007
9 z: H" H8 N z3 o% t. w! q; E
6 u/ V c9 B2 L6 b O' nEDMONTON - Most Albertans think this is a bad time to buy a house -- but a good time to buy major household items.
# S1 {& p3 M, a$ }+ Z+ M7 y9 p4 b, V6 p( E) q& Q: y9 U
Leger Marketing surveyed 900 Alberta consumers for PricewaterhouseCoopers, in February, asking about the economy./ E0 a9 X; c" K' ]3 W
; `% g6 o' u& S HResponses 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.3 z" v9 T0 ^" ]7 H, _ z, L
4 X, i* u$ Y, S" AIs this a good time to buy a house in Alberta?8 V6 R) A. m8 Y& I
: M3 [1 e4 z! ^# R7 N* p6 p' q3 w
No, not according to the sample's composite score of 71, showing significant doubt.
$ C, K* E u& b( H8 u
6 a+ g) y a3 G: w9 c* nLeger'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."
, | J& Y/ F% c# Y
! w3 n( S/ s6 ^. w% YWhen asked specifically about interest rates, the sample scored 66, with a widely-shared belief that rates will rise.
5 y# t0 h0 }& v; Y; R: [& Y+ z6 q) S9 f' V
A question about household incomes drew a score of 141, as most people expected incomes to rise.1 N* q' U9 q c3 Z7 m) Y
( J+ i8 p, f4 g7 o
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.
; Q) U! w" G/ }$ B
& M5 J, u8 f3 e6 @, ]* L! J" nThe prospect for future unemployment was highly optimistic at 127 -- although it's hard to imagine how unemployment could fall any lower.6 }$ n- a$ l# @$ U& b" U
6 b1 k( n' D* h1 x$ `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.
- Z: K u) P- I! C
( Y W! I. ~% t4 E+ mAmong 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."
* u0 T; h& o" N0 w2 e
- i2 X# [2 G+ _( K; X/ D% rThe business sample, like the consumer sample, expected interest rates to rise.
9 H# y8 A0 e) V2 R
$ Q' m4 a5 g U- l8 {" D( sBarry James, PricewaterhouseCoopers' managing partner in Edmonton, urged borrowers to consider the risk of higher rates.4 F- T, }) [# T# q4 }5 L/ U
0 F( O$ y5 |) q6 O, \4 @$ g$ b"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~~~
