Nearly 1.2 million laid-off Americans applied for state unemployment benefits last week, evidence that the coronavirus keeps forcing companies to slash jobs just as a critical $600 weekly federal jobless payment has expired. read more >
U.S. businesses sharply reduced hiring last month, suggesting that resurgent COVID-19 infections slowed the economic recovery as many states closed parts of their economies again and consumers remained cautious about spending. read more >
State tax officials say Arkansas' July net available general revenue was $665.9 million, up 43.9% from the same month last year and 8.6% above forecast. read more >
The economy continues to recover in nine Midwest and Plains states, but businesses are still cutting jobs amid the coronavirus, according to a monthly survey of business leaders. read more >
I’m hopeful that some lasting changes for the better will come out of COVID-19 because that’s a common thread in human history. read more >
The current state of affairs — social, political — is in turmoil in part due to mixed messages from individuals and institutions. The viral pandemic has rendered impotent authoritative and instructive messaging. read more >
As the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases continues to rise, the number of Americans willing to wear masks to control the spread of the disease has soared. read more >
The U.S. economy shrank at a dizzying 33% annual rate in the April-June quarter — by far the worst quarterly plunge ever. read more >
U.S. consumer confidence tumbled in July to a reading of 92.6 as coronavirus infections spread in many parts of the country. read more >
Nonfarm payroll employment in Arkansas rose by 23,700 in June, an increase of 2%, while the national total rose by 3.6%. read more >
A $2.4 million scam perpetrated against the Arkansas Department of Transportation is a particularly useful case for business executives to consider since it involves a simple, unsophisticated and yet exceptionally effective form of fraud, and any business that pays employees or vendors is vulnerable. read more >
Average rates on long-term mortgages rose this week for the first time since June 25, after weeks of marking new record lows. read more >
The viral pandemic's resurgence caused the number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits to rise last week for the first time in nearly four months, evidence of the deepening economic pain the outbreak is causing. read more >
In 2019, only 0.89% of the loans that banks in the United States held were nonperforming, a big improvement compared with the 5.3% of nonperforming loans in the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2007-08. read more >
As financial institutions innovate, Arkansas’ financial technology community plays a significant role. read more >
The number of laid-off workers seeking unemployment benefits remained stuck at 1.3 million last week, an historically high level that indicates many companies are still cutting jobs as the viral outbreak intensifies. read more >
Here comes the latest hurdle for the pandemic-defying stock market to leap with ease, investors hope: the worst quarter for profit growth in more than a decade. read more >
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced last month that it was awarding $40 million to the Arkansas Transportation Department to reconstruct and improve two sections of U.S. Highway 67 in Jacksonville and Cabot. read more >
There are enough women willing to pay $75 or $100 or $125 for a dozen or more eyeshadows that new “palette” releases from high-end brands are as anticipated as blockbuster movies. It’s all about the “color story,” you see. read more >
More than 1.3 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, a historically high pace that shows that many employers are still laying people off in the face of a resurgent coronavirus. read more >
