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Ron Chalmers, The Edmonton Journal
: e) w$ n+ k! `' v/ m" q# ^, L; I+ IPublished: Tuesday, April 03, 20071 B4 P& d- v2 r5 \
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EDMONTON - Most Albertans think this is a bad time to buy a house -- but a good time to buy major household items.- y$ g, x3 ?6 i) p7 s9 m
; t% T$ E; s; Y/ o$ E1 ]4 zLeger Marketing surveyed 900 Alberta consumers for PricewaterhouseCoopers, in February, asking about the economy." ^8 I9 k/ s! C2 j. X. |# v; T
: ]$ s( @8 v- k) n7 k( V M' u/ \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.2 F# P8 E" r: E7 x8 r# F( N; A h ?& O
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Is this a good time to buy a house in Alberta?9 ]3 z. N" Q5 J8 t0 ]0 G
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No, not according to the sample's composite score of 71, showing significant doubt.6 a" o+ \9 F% s! k( ]8 E
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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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4 n- n' w0 o/ X6 e* J" TWhen asked specifically about interest rates, the sample scored 66, with a widely-shared belief that rates will rise.3 g- m0 x( j1 ^& Q% |! Z+ [
6 }6 S/ `' j E# y7 P/ WA 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.$ C! u O) I. N5 `+ L$ R' Q
' E# i& e% P- w3 n6 oThe prospect for future unemployment was highly optimistic at 127 -- although it's hard to imagine how unemployment could fall any lower., S. X. h: }- A0 K8 X! P' T: h
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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."
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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.
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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~~~
