Trends
Little Rock Construction Rises While Fayetteville Remains Steady
Hospital, airport and industrial projects that pushed the total value of Little Rock building permits to $1.28 billion.
The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate eased to 6.06% this week, down from 6.16% last week.
Projected business formations (within four quarters), adjusted for seasonal variation, totaled 31,434 in November, an increase of 6.2% compared with October, the U.S. Census Bureau reported last month.
The retail sales figures, which are not adjusted for inflation, showed that in most cases shoppers focused on gifts and pulled away from other areas.
2025 US Home Sales Stuck at 30-Year Low as Mortgage Rates, Prices Weigh On Market
Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes totaled 4.06 million last year, flat versus 2024, when sales sank to the lowest level since 1995. read more >
by Associated Press -
Inflation Cooled Slightly In December Though It Remains Above Fed’s Target
Many economists had expected inflation to jump last month as the government resumed normal data collection after the six-week shutdown last fall, so the modest increases that matched the November figures came as a relief. read more >
by Associated Press -
State Tax Revenue Dips 1.2% in December
Individual income tax and sales tax collections partially offset lower corporate collections. read more >
Average US Long-Term Mortgage Rate Falls to 6.15%
Affordability still remains a challenge for aspiring homeowners, especially first-time buyers. read more >
by Associated Press -
US Applications for Jobless Benefits Fell Below 200,000 Last Week With Layoffs Historically Low
Unemployment benefit filings are often distorted during holiday-shortened weeks. The shorter week can cause some who have lost jobs to delay filing claims. read more >
by Associated Press -
Trump Launched Global Tariff Wars In 2025. Here’s a Recap of His Trade Actions This Year
Volley after volley of threats and steeper import taxes often arrived erratically — with Trump claiming that such levies needed to be immediately imposed to close trade imbalances and take back wealth that was “stolen” from the U.S. read more >
by Associated Press -
Resilient US Consumers Drive Strongest Economic Expansion In 2 Years
U.S. gross domestic product from July through September — the economy’s total output of goods and services — rose from its 3.8% growth rate in the April-June quarter, the Commerce Department said. read more >
by Associated Press -
More Thrifting and Fewer Returns, the Early Trends That Defined Shopping This Holiday
In the past it may have seemed gauche to gift your mother a gently used sweater or a pair of pants from a local thrift store, but seemingly not so amid all of the economic uncertainty and rising prices. read more >
by Associated Press -
🎄It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas (By the Numbers)
See how the financials of this holiday season measure up. read more >
📈 Interactive Data Briefing: AI Market Projected to Surge
The size of the global artificial intelligence market is expected to surge from nearly $260 billion in 2025 to $1.2 trillion by 2030. read more >
📈 Interactive Data Briefing: Growth of Data Center Construction Market
The global size of the data center construction market is estimated at $258.56 billion in 2025 and expected to reach about $491.99 billion by 2034. read more >
US Retail Sales Rose Slightly In September, Adding to Months of Big Gains
Sales rose 0.2% in September from the previous month, the Commerce Department said Tuesday, in a report delayed more than a month because of the government shutdown. read more >
📈 Interactive Data Briefing: Health Care Premiums Without Federal Subsidies
Enhancements, or subsidies, to health insurance premium tax credits, which were at the heart of the federal government shutdown, helped lead to a doubling in enrollment in Affordable Care Act […] read more >
📈 Interactive Data Briefing: Earnings by Educational Attainment
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that these “education categories reflect only the highest level of educational attainment. They do not take into account completion of training programs in […] read more >
State Tax Revenue Rises 2.9% in October
Gains in corporate income tax and sales tax offset lower individual income tax collections. read more >
📈 Interactive Data Briefing: Arkansas Labor Force/Employment
The labor force in Arkansas rose by 31,335 between 2023 and 2024, and employment increased by 27,373 during the same period. read more >
📈 Interactive Data Briefing: Insurance Rate Changes for Small-Group Insurers
For 2026, the median proposed premium increase among 318 small group insurers across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., is 11%. read more >
📈 Interactive Data Briefing: US Power Generation by Fuel Source
Natural gas, solar and wind continued to climb as sources of power generation while coal continued its long decline. read more >
Skyline Report: Northwest Arkansas Housing Market Holds Strong Despite Sales Dip
More than 5,000 homes were sold in the region in the first half of 2025, the second consecutive half-year that sales surpassed that figure. read more >
Sign up for Daily E-news
Sign Up
THIS WEEK’S EDITION
This Week’s Stories
View Digital Edition
