Jobless rates slipped
across state in April
The unemployment rates in Arkansas metropolitan areas continued to decline in April, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Northwest Arkansas had the lowest unemployment rate in April at 4.5 percent, down from 5.3 percent in April last year. The Little Rock area's unemployment rate was 5.5 percent in April, down from 6.3 percent a year earlier.
Other April unemployment rates in Arkansas' metropolitan areas, compared with April 2013, were:
• Jonesboro, 5.6 percent, down from 6.7 percent.
• Texarkana, 5.7 percent, down from 6.9 percent.
• Fort Smith, 5.9 percent, down from 7.5 percent.
• Hot Springs, 6.1 percent, down from 7.2 percent.
• Pine Bluff, 8.4 percent, down from 9.4 percent.
Arkansas' unemployment rate was 6.6 percent in April. The country's rate was 6.3 percent.
-- David Smith
Arkansas called tops
for bank fees, rates
Arkansas leads the nation in banks that feature low fees and good interest rates, according to a report this week from GoBankingRates, a Los Angeles-based online banking-services firm.
The GoBankingRates rankings were based on interest paid on checking and saving accounts, and fees charged for returned checks, debit-card transactions, and checking- and saving-account maintenance.
GoBankingRates surveyed 52 Arkansas banks for its information. The average returned-check fee for the Arkansas banks was $29, the average debit-card fee was $2, the average monthly checking-account-maintenance fee was $8 and the average savings-account-maintenance fee was $4.
States adjacent to Arkansas were also ranked high by GoBankingRates, with Oklahoma at No. 3, Missouri at No. 5, Louisiana at No. 7, Tennessee at No. 10, Mississippi at No. 11 and Texas at No. 17.
Arizona anchored the bottom of the list.
-- David Smith
Index sees 0.04 gain
as 10 issues decline
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, gained 0.04 to 345.51 Friday.
Ten stocks declined and seven advanced.
Shares of P.A.M. Transportation Services climbed 7.1 percent in heavy trading.
Tyson Foods fell 1.8 percent a day after making a $6.8 billion offer for Hillshire Brands.
For the week, 13 stocks advanced and four declined.
P.A.M. Transportation rose 8.1 percent for the week, Tyson Foods gained 6.9 percent and America's Car-Mart lost 5.5 percent.
Total volume of the index was 20.8 million shares. The average daily volume for the week was 24.8 million shares.
The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.
Business on 05/31/2014