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Ron Chalmers, The Edmonton Journal& K3 f- X! i" i9 X- N
Published: Tuesday, April 03, 20076 A+ d$ c$ H) C% [& O8 e" {
. g$ }9 ? r) T, i' X5 c$ R$ w4 NEDMONTON - Most Albertans think this is a bad time to buy a house -- but a good time to buy major household items. Q" H" |: [: I3 z! D
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Leger Marketing surveyed 900 Alberta consumers for PricewaterhouseCoopers, in February, asking about the economy.
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4 m- k( w9 N: {1 s* J& L5 I, `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?
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0 u2 f3 r6 ?7 w; QNo, not according to the sample's composite score of 71, showing significant doubt.# p$ g+ Y/ L8 `% m. f6 L, ]! v
; ?$ _* Q1 B/ [0 S+ B8 TLeger'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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) E" X! X' _/ ]5 s8 DWhen 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.
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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.' t+ k: C; X, D+ Y. K- O+ p$ k$ u
! s, v# m9 r/ L/ N% \The prospect for future unemployment was highly optimistic at 127 -- although it's hard to imagine how unemployment could fall any lower.* n# t! H t9 P$ a& A, A4 X
2 E; q* J2 p# ?7 |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.* q: e! {' w* t7 {
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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."
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The business sample, like the consumer sample, expected interest rates to rise.2 k+ P7 C+ O! P( [0 V6 Y
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Barry James, PricewaterhouseCoopers' managing partner in Edmonton, urged borrowers to consider the risk of higher rates.7 l. v6 X! M' }# g2 Z6 T# E4 |& s, v
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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~~~
