LITTLE ROCK — Beebe joins effort
to save wind credit
The Governors’ Wind Energy Coalition has sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging them to renew the federal wind energy tax credit, now set to expire at the end of the year, to protect jobs at wind energy manufacturers.
“Without a [Production Tax Credit] extension, it is estimated that the U.S.
economy will lose 37,000 wind industry jobs and the opportunity to leverage over $10 billion of private investment,” the letter said. “Our states are already seeing these impacts.”
Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe, a coalition member, supports the extension, spokesman Matt DeCample said Tuesday.
More than half of the workers at LM Wind Power’s Little Rock windmill blade plant - including 80 hourly employees, 14 salaried employees and 140 temporary workers - have been laid off since August.
- Jessica SeamanWal-Mart to release
earnings Thursday
Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
is scheduled to release its third-quarter sales and earnings report on Thursday for the period that ended Oct. 31.
In the same period a year ago, the world’s largest retailer reported earnings of 97 cents a share.
This year, 24 analysts polled by FactSet Research Systems Inc. forecast earnings of $1.07 a share.
The retailer’s earnings report will be posted online at walmartstores.com about 6 a.m.
The quarterly earnings news release and prerecorded phone call will be available about 6 a.m. on the date of release. The transcript of the call will be available simultaneously with the prerecorded call.
The prerecorded call can be accessed by dialing (800) 778-6902 in the United States and Canada;
all other callers can dial (585) 219-6420.
- Steve PainterArkansas Index slips
0.81 at day’s end
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, fell 0.81 to 241.78 Tuesday.
“Early gains in U.S.
stocks faded late in the session as investors reacted to continuing concerns about Greece’s debt problem and the U.S. budget debate,” said Bob Williams, senior vice president and managing director of Delta Trust Investments Inc. in Little Rock. “Here in Arkansas, declining issues outnumbered advancing stocks by a 2-to-1 margin.”
USA Truck gained 4.6 percent on above-average volume, Williams said, adding that Simmons First National dropped by 2.7 percent.
The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.
Business, Pages 27 on 11/14/2012