News on the Wire

Area home list prices decline

Average and median prices of new and existing homes in the Fort Smith/Van Buren markets dropped 3.4 percent and 2.6 percent, respectively, between Aug. 4 and Nov. 3. Statewide, the…

Beebe: State to feel economic pain in 2009 (Updated!)

Updated info: Moody’s, the closely watched ratings agency, reports that at least 30 states are "In Recession" — including Arkansas. Economists at Moody’s also have looked at Arkansas’ metro areas….

Baldor included in “socially responsible” fund

One of the best performing “socially responsible” mutual funds is the Parnassus Workplace Fund (PARWX), according to a MarketWatch report. And one of the stocks in that fund is Fort…

National manufacturing index takes a dive

A report released Monday by the Institute for Supply Management is not good news for regional economies with a large manufacturing base. The institute reported that manufacturing in the U.S….

State estimates lower winter natural gas bills

The Arkansas Public Service Commission said Monday that natural gas bills for Arkansas Oklahoma Gas Corp. customers are expected to decline this winter season. For the customer using 100 ccf…

Baldor project tops weekly building permit report (Updated!)

Updated info: For all of October, the city of Fort Smith issued 644 permits with a construction value of $16.2 million. The city collected $95,791 in fees on the permits….

Earnings, economic reports for the upcoming week

It’s not just an election week. Several important earnings reports from publicly held companies and government economic reports are set to release this week. On Monday morning, the Commmerce Department…

Don Tyson emerges from his “behind the scenes” role

The Associated Press on Sunday posted a "rare and extensive" interview with Don Tyson, the former chairman of Springdale-based Tyson Foods Inc. The article provides interesting detail on the help…

A few notes on the trucking sector

Fort Smith-based Arkansas Best Corp. and Van Buren-based USA Truck are just two reasons why the health of the domestic trucking industry is important for the regional economy. Trucking companies…

Rethinking the conventional wisdom of Middle Class income

Terry Fitzgerald, a senior economist with The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, posted in September an interesting piece on the growth of middle class income. Yes, that’s right, the growth…