Retail sales in the United States rose a record 17.7% in May, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, reflecting a surge in buying as businesses that had been shuttered because of the coronavirus pandemic reopened.
The number of laid-off workers seeking U.S. unemployment benefits dipped only slightly last week, and the economy shrank in the first three months of the year.
The number of Americans signing contracts to buy homes rebounded a record 44.3% in May after a record-breaking decline the previous month, as the impact of the coronavirus pandemic sidelined both buyers and sellers.
The number of people seeking U.S. unemployment aid rose slightly last week to 870,000, a historically high figure that shows that the viral pandemic is still squeezing restaurants, airlines, hotels and many other businesses six months after it first erupted. read more >
The number of reported coronavirus cases increased by 549 in Arkansas on Sunday while the number of deaths due to COVID-19, the illness caused by the disease, stayed the same. read more >
I need a word for the sensation that 2020 has simultaneously been the longest year of my life and is also flying by. read more >
The debt on farm real estate is projected to increase 4.7% in 2020, adjusted for inflation, to $281.6 billion, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported earlier this month. read more >
Arkansas' seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 7.4% in August from 7.1% in July, the state Department of Workforce Services reported Friday. read more >
The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell last week to 860,000, a historically high number of people that illustrates the broad economic damage still taking place nine months after the first case of COVID-19 was detected in the U.S. read more >
Americans kept spending in August, but the pace of that growth is slowing as millions of people who lost jobs have now lost a $600 a week boost in their unemployment checks. read more >
Commit this to memory so you can stop being surprised: Wherever there are human beings, there will be waste, fraud and abuse. read more >
Is it any wonder that the phrase “May I provide you with some feedback?” sets up an emotional loop almost guaranteed to grate on nerves and create stress? read more >
Housing costs in central Arkansas compare favorably with those in other metropolitan areas, a recent report by planning agency Metroplan shows. read more >
The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits was unchanged last week at 884,000, a sign that layoffs remain stuck at a historically high level six months after the viral pandemic flattened the economy. read more >
Bumper-sticker mentality was a problem before social media, but it required acquiring a bumper sticker and deciding that sharing a nuance-free opinion with tail-gaters was worth putting sticky gunk on the car's bumper. Now spreading opinions — and, all too often, demonstrably false information from unknown sources — can be done with a click. read more >
Point-and-click commerce, growing even faster during the quarantine, means more and more cardboard is being consumed by shippers and shippees alike. read more >
The Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area now has a population of about 750,000, according to a report by Metroplan, the planning agency for Faulkner, Lonoke, Pulaski and Saline counties. read more >
The U.S. unemployment rate fell sharply in August to 8.4% from 10.2% even as hiring slowed, with employers adding the fewest jobs since the pandemic began. read more >
Consumer spending accounts for about 70% of the U.S. gross domestic product, making it the single most important factor in recovering from one of the worst recessions on record. Spending plunged an unprecedented 12.9% in April, as stores and restaurants across the country closed and consumers sheltered at home. read more >
The latest Federal Reserve survey of U.S. economic activity found generally modest gains in August but also pessimism about the future given the threats posed by the coronavirus. read more >
State tax officials say Arkansas' August net available general revenue was $485.5 million, up 8.1% from the same month last year and 9.2% above forecast. read more >
U.S. companies added jobs at a modest pace last month, a private survey found, a sign that while hiring continues, it is only soaking up a relatively small proportion of the unemployed. read more >
The rural economy in Middle America showed improvement in August, despite the effects of a global pandemic and a rare devastating wind storm earlier in the month, according to a monthly survey of nine Midwest and Plains states released Tuesday. read more >
Instead of simply asking what white-owned businesses can do to promote diversity in their workforce or in their customer base, Americans of goodwill are asking how they can make minority-owned businesses more stable and profitable. read more >
Blacks owned 124,004 employer businesses (firms with at least one paid employee) in 2017, or 2.2% of the 5.7 million employer businesses in the United States, according to the 2018 Annual Business Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. read more >
U.S. consumers increased their spending by 1.9% last month, a dose of support for an economy struggling to emerge from the grip of a pandemic that has held back a recovery and kept roughly 27 million people jobless. read more >
A strong showing by cattle feedlots in July has led to expectations that the beef supply chain is back to running at pre-pandemic levels. read more >
The Federal Reserve announced a significant change Thursday in how it manages interest rates by saying it plans to keep rates near zero even after inflation has exceeded the Fed's 2% target level. read more >
The U.S. economy shrank at an alarming annual rate of 31.7% during the April-June quarter as it struggled under the weight of the viral pandemic, the government estimated Thursday. It was the sharpest quarterly drop on record. read more >
The COVID-19 pandemic, whose effects began in March, hasn't slowed the northwest Arkansas real estate market. read more >
Disturbing allegations made by attorneys for Richard Toll show why some say that no good deed goes unpunished. read more >
Bankruptcies in the United States are on track to hit their highest levels in 10 years as the coronavirus pandemic continues to quell economic activity and keeps many Americans from re-engaging fully with the economy. read more >
Business leaders across our state — and the U.S. — are now looking ahead to 2021. Has there ever been a time when strategies and forecasts have felt more tenuous? read more >
