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Ron Chalmers, The Edmonton Journal
% y& r% D- f z; X( n! XPublished: Tuesday, April 03, 2007
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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.
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* p- C& x& [" f! |4 ZLeger Marketing surveyed 900 Alberta consumers for PricewaterhouseCoopers, in February, asking about the economy.
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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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! M( p* `: A" F( L& BNo, not according to the sample's composite score of 71, showing significant doubt.
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* z \0 U6 h' H& U1 zLeger'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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) V3 b* ]" U$ b% cWhen 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.0 y% e2 G: ]$ T
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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.7 F# E. m6 X1 I& M: b X
@) t) }1 P3 k5 v4 T. NA 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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( j3 A. P$ e& B3 A3 Z, m6 oAmong 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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( w8 S- n+ j0 C' _" A" lBarry James, PricewaterhouseCoopers' managing partner in Edmonton, urged borrowers to consider the risk of higher rates.& c- d1 t- b7 [
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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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显身卡
发表于 2007-4-4 14:25
晕啊~~我看晕了~~~
