No Dithering! Quick Reaction Saves Businesses (Allen Engstrom Commentary)
In times of crisis and confusion, it’s a lack of clarity and failure to act that kills. In previous crises, it's the companies that reacted quickly that survived. read more >
Tagged: Trends
A Record 6.6M Seek US Jobless Aid As Layoffs Mount
More than 6.6 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week — doubling a record high set just one week earlier — a sign that layoffs are accelerating in the midst of the coronavirus. read more >
US Businesses Cut 27,000 Jobs in March, Before Virus Hit
U.S. companies shed 27,000 jobs in March, according to a private survey, a figure that mostly reflected the economy as it stood before the full impact of the viral outbreak. read more >
Survey Suggests Pandemic Draining Vigor From Midwest Economy
A survey of supply managers in a nine-state region of the Midwest and Plains is showing more signs of the coronavirus pandemic's disruptive economic impact. read more >
Skyline Report: Office Vacancy Rate Dipped to Near Historic Low in 2019
The vacancy rate for office space in Benton and Washington counties was 8.5% in the second half of 2019, the second lowest vacancy rate since 2004, according to the latest Arvest Bank Skyline Report. read more >
US Consumer Confidence Sinks As Virus Begins Having Impact
U.S. consumer confidence tumbled this month to its lowest level in nearly three years as the impact of the coronavirus on the economy began to be felt. read more >
Fed Projects Decade's Fastest-Growing Occupations
Employment in the United States is forecast to grow by 8.4 million jobs to 169.4 million jobs during the decade of 2018-28, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Or it was; the report was released months before the coronavirus pandemic caused widespread job losses. read more >
The Last Epidemic (Gwen Moritz Editor's Note)
Every graph is still showing exponential spread of the coronavirus in the United States. South Korea seems to have been the only country that got ahead of this thing, but that’s easier to do when your land mass is about 70% the size of Arkansas. read more >
Arkansas Home Ownership Rate Stands at 65.3%
The rate of home ownership in Arkansas was 65.3% as of Jan. 1, 2019, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. read more >
The Paradox of Thrift (Gwen Moritz Editor's Note)
Saving money is good for the individual but bad for the overall economy because it reduces aggregate demand. read more >
What Are You Accountable For? (Barry Goldberg On Leadership)
If you want a simple way to understand how accountability works, or does not, in your organization, look no further than the military. read more >
Retail Sales Fall 0.5% in February, Biggest Drop Since 2018
Retail sales fell 0.5% in February, the largest drop in more than a year, indicating that the consumer sector was slowing even before the coronavirus struck with force in the United States. read more >
Managing the Message During the Coronavirus Crisis (Natalie Ghidotti Commentary)
Moments of crisis are where thoughtful, strategic communication is most important. Here are a few communications tips from someone who's been in the trenches with many companies at those moments where every word matters. read more >
Arkansas' Unemployment Rate Unchanged at 3.5% in January
Arkansas' unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.5% between December and January, the state Division of Workforce Services said Monday. read more >
U.S. Cannabis Market Sales Reach $13.6B
Overall sales in the legalized cannabis industry in the United States were expected to hit $13.6 billion in 2019, a 32% increase of the 2018 total of $10.3 billion, according to New Frontier Data of Washington, D.C., a data provider for the cannabis sector. read more >
The Right Balance (Gwen Moritz Editor's Note)
If you are having trouble deciding how you, your family and your company should respond to an unprecedented health crisis, you might cut some slack to the journalists who are also trying to strike a balance that contributes to public safety while not fomenting panic. read more >
What to Change, and When (Jim Karrh On Marketing)
Is it time for a change in your business message? Depending on the research you follow and the experiences of other organizations, you could be led to different conclusions. read more >
Reshaping an Outbreak (Dr. Carl Abraham Commentary)
Are the inconvenience, anxiety, and changes required of us justified? They are. This is not just a common cold or the flu. read more >
Coronavirus: What Employers Need to Know (Allison Pearson Commentary)
As Arkansas learns of its first presumptive cases of COVID-19, it is inevitable that the virus will affect day-to-day activities. Preparation will look different for every business, but we encourage all our clients to consider the following. read more >
Skyline Report Shows Record Home Sales in Northwest Arkansas
More than 9,600 residential homes were sold in Washington and Benton counties in 2019, which is the highest number recorded by Arvest Bank's Skyline Report since its founding in 2004. read more >
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