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Ron Chalmers, The Edmonton Journal
* C' h7 L% C. _" m, rPublished: Tuesday, April 03, 2007 s# p& x7 d6 _& ^. |
% v- f+ V. G! C3 y6 `' `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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* }; A" h1 h4 {1 t+ s$ ELeger Marketing surveyed 900 Alberta consumers for PricewaterhouseCoopers, in February, asking about the economy.9 {' d: Z; T, U) l& K
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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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No, not according to the sample's composite score of 71, showing significant doubt.1 ~, s+ Z, x" \+ o0 U! i+ i: b
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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."8 _4 {2 Q3 L2 y- w( a3 ~1 v1 h
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When asked specifically about interest rates, the sample scored 66, with a widely-shared belief that rates will rise.# A' B# n) z9 Y& Z. H( Z. L
2 k0 `7 y# w$ h6 @! @7 vA 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.* `# M# I+ N" u1 v# _6 o- f
C% C, j% H' l2 IThe prospect for future unemployment was highly optimistic at 127 -- although it's hard to imagine how unemployment could fall any lower.# e& u1 L$ d5 i1 i8 {; b' A6 d
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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.; d* ^6 k% M# H; U4 K
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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* E1 U+ f; L3 P
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The business sample, like the consumer sample, expected interest rates to rise.
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# Z6 C& v* ]1 u( v" UBarry 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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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~~~
