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Ron Chalmers, The Edmonton Journal
, V- {5 n! H( O- L" x7 @Published: Tuesday, April 03, 2007
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# s& S9 o8 r( q% eEDMONTON - 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.
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( B8 j9 F9 N: AResponses 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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Is this a good time to buy a house in Alberta?7 d3 \# Z/ F! [( K& {& c/ I
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No, 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."
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h& }+ {2 h. t' a- n9 H& p9 w5 Y6 OWhen asked specifically about interest rates, the sample scored 66, with a widely-shared belief that rates will rise.7 ?( Z; \( ?% \# a$ Z B; \
- ^6 H5 [; B1 I }1 @A question about household incomes drew a score of 141, as most people expected incomes to rise.
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2 `3 o) \/ W, p. U. t$ ZThe 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.
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, C, y' h, @: Q/ XThe 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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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."& c- A! r* r+ l6 Z
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The business sample, like the consumer sample, expected interest rates to rise.
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Barry James, PricewaterhouseCoopers' managing partner in Edmonton, urged borrowers to consider the risk of higher rates.; Z" @! r+ y. l8 c
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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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狗仔卡
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~~~
