April's jobless rates drop in metro areas
Unemployment dropped statewide in April, and the lowest rate continued to be in Northwest Arkansas, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday.
The unemployment rate in the state's northwest corner was 4 percent, down from 4.3 percent in April 2014. The Northwest Arkansas metropolitan statistical area includes Benton, Washington and Madison counties in Arkansas and McDonald County, Mo.
Pine Bluff had the state's highest rate at 7.4 percent, but unemployment dropped a full percentage point from last year's 8.4 percent.
Jonesboro and Little Rock both posted unemployment rates of 4.8 percent, down from 5.4 percent and 5.2 percent, respectively.
The unemployment rate fell to 5.6 percent in Hot Springs and 5.7 percent in Fort Smith. Both metropolitan areas reported rates of 5.9 percent in April 2014.
Unemployment dropped in 344 of the nation's 387 metropolitan statistical areas in April. Lincoln, Neb., had the lowest rate at 2.1 percent while Yuma, Ariz., had the highest at 22.2 percent.
-- Christie Swanson
Shares net $256,200 for Tyson president
Donnie Smith, president and chief executive of Springdale-based Tyson Foods Inc., recently sold company shares valued at $419,700, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
Smith exercised options to acquire 10,000 shares at $16.35 on Tuesday, the same day he sold 10,000 shares with a weighted average price of $41.97, clearing $256,200. After the sale, Smith owns 130,188 shares valued at $5.4 million at Wednesday's closing price of $41.76 per share.
Shares of Tyson closed down a little more than 1 percent Wednesday. The shares have traded as low as $34.90 and as high as $43.80 over the past year.
-- John Magsam
State index up 2.18; Acxiom rises 4.2%
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, climbed 2.18 to 378.89 Wednesday.
Thirteen stocks advanced and five declined.
Acxiom rose 4.2 percent on double its average volume.
Bank of the Ozarks rose 2.9 percent in heavy trading.
Communications Sales & Leasing lost 1.6 percent in light trading.
Tyson Foods fell 1.2 percent in below-average volume.
The total volume of the index was 18.1 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 06/04/2015