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Ron Chalmers, The Edmonton Journal# S! T2 E' m" G" v
Published: Tuesday, April 03, 20070 G; c. a& ]% \7 I4 B6 j. y
$ H3 n; E- e7 C9 i4 FEDMONTON - Most Albertans think this is a bad time to buy a house -- but a good time to buy major household items.9 d w/ J1 A6 n: P) J; N4 `
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Leger Marketing surveyed 900 Alberta consumers for PricewaterhouseCoopers, in February, asking about the economy.
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$ W( w! g8 i6 m b" a( m& ?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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Is this a good time to buy a house in Alberta?8 f* `6 D0 f- |" t: X
j. ~# F2 x1 ^No, not according to the sample's composite score of 71, showing significant doubt. K: E+ y8 M2 i, ?
; ~; ?$ r6 T3 a' R% K WLeger'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# W. U0 G5 g8 ^4 F5 y) N
. W$ U9 |- D1 Z: S# BWhen 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.7 g! k1 `. Y4 M" u# O7 y9 U
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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.5 f" W, [% @/ U" L0 K3 v
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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.: U0 ?+ L! g7 D5 s
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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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5 _& ^, n5 ^' E' \! L! B) lAmong 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."0 y. f. O) B+ A
1 p: f! w% ^5 O1 YThe business sample, like the consumer sample, expected interest rates to rise.4 t3 W5 ]5 `- A) q. F! ]$ q
5 g0 c) B3 l; K. l& ~, XBarry 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~~~
