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Ron Chalmers, The Edmonton Journal, z8 s! U& ^) y" G, s' D1 S; [
Published: Tuesday, April 03, 20079 F6 f" y" C7 c. a5 S1 Y9 c
. T& @: p, z' b aEDMONTON - Most Albertans think this is a bad time to buy a house -- but a good time to buy major household items.2 ^! p' q5 R& H7 [% h. U
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Leger Marketing surveyed 900 Alberta consumers for PricewaterhouseCoopers, in February, asking about the economy. w) j) r4 C) o
( o- N2 l! C F/ TResponses 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.7 M- N4 S6 ]" J* Q' @
. U2 T# s' n; b4 _5 E, w2 `Is this a good time to buy a house in Alberta?& I% Y/ b, w+ \
+ b# r% B- |5 Z* LNo, not according to the sample's composite score of 71, showing significant doubt.+ @+ ?- Y, d c" D4 J
! u! O) v9 ^ L- i4 l5 e4 B8 Y3 [; SLeger'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."' c; b5 `) r z- v( e% z1 B& m5 z
8 D& x, ^& ^* ]# L$ b2 v! TWhen asked specifically about interest rates, the sample scored 66, with a widely-shared belief that rates will rise.* Y: |2 b4 Y" Q- }( @6 ~9 I. C- r
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A question about household incomes drew a score of 141, as most people expected incomes to rise.+ m0 w% ?, r @7 [
; }( P7 c! o+ S5 r4 V$ EThe 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.0 m) R/ W8 r6 C' {8 d
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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.
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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.
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: `. z& O+ G" O' M0 m& iAmong 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."+ E5 c3 d# \. Z/ ^& D
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The business sample, like the consumer sample, expected interest rates to rise.
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1 ~- H0 E! b" TBarry James, PricewaterhouseCoopers' managing partner in Edmonton, urged borrowers to consider the risk of higher rates.
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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~~~
