NW Arkansas posts jobless rate of 4.4%
The 4.4 percent unemployment rate in Northwest Arkansas in February, down from 5.3 percent in February 2014, was the lowest in the state, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said Wednesday.
Kathy Deck, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Arkansas, said the numbers are consistent with the direction the rest of the United States is moving. Rates fell in 366 of the nation's 387 metropolitan areas.
"The last time we had 4.4 percent was September, and this is a reasonable seasonal place for us to be," she said.
Pine Bluff's metropolitan area had the state's biggest unemployment rate change in February, dropping to 7.9 percent from 10.2 percent a year earlier.
February unemployment was 5.3 percent in Little Rock, 5.4 percent in Jonesboro, 5.8 percent in Fort Smith and 6.1 percent in Hot Springs.
The Arkansas unemployment rate was 5.5 percent in February, equaling the national unemployment rate.
-- Christie Swanson
Krug Energy awarded $400,000 in rebates
The Arkansas Energy Office will provide $400,000 in rebates to the Krug Energy fueling station operator in Higginson, about 5 miles south of Searcy, the division of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission said Wednesday.
The rebates will be awarded to the company for installing compressed natural gas equipment to provide public access to the clean-burning motor fuel, the energy office said. The rebates are offered through the Gaseous Fuels Rebate Program.
The Krug Energy station at 3543 Arkansas 367 already is selling compressed natural gas to the public.
Other natural-gas stations in Arkansas are in Little Rock, North Little Rock, Damascus, Fort Smith, Jonesboro and Conway.
-- David Smith
State index up 2.59; trucking stocks jump
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, gained 2.59 to 400.54 Tuesday.
"U.S. stocks closed higher on Wednesday after the release of mostly dovish Federal Reserve meeting minutes," said John Blackwell, senior vice president and managing director of equity trading at Stephens Inc. in Little Rock. "The Arkansas Index moved higher as eight stocks advanced and nine declined."
USA Truck jumped 5.7 percent in light trading.
P.A.M. Transportation rose 3.5 percent on low volume.
Dillard's was up 2.1 percent after hitting a 52-week high.
Murphy Oil fell 2.8 percent on average volume.
Total volume of the index was 21.6 million shares.
The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.
Business on 04/09/2015