As the impact of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) works its way through the economy, national economic forecasts are showing an increasingly grim outlook. In addition to disruption of world supply chains, the decline in consumer spending associated with “social distancing” is…
June/July 2016 Issue ith the unemployment rate at or below 5 percent, both nationwide and in Arkansas, conventional wisdom suggests that we are at or near “full employment.” But, whenever the topic of unemployment comes up, there always seems to…
April/May 2016 Issue Does Size Really Matter? hen it comes to economic development and employment growth, news about large employers often grabs the headlines. Politicians and economic developers are eager to share the credit when big companies set up shop…
February/March 2016 Issue fter returning from an early primary election season, state legislators will be meeting this year in a late fiscal session, the fourth such session held during even-numbered years since its establishment by Constitutional Amendment 86 in 2008. As…
- Finance & BankingMagazineNovember/December 2015
Economics: Arkansas Unemployment Rates Remain Close for Men and Women
November/December 2015 Issue he Great Recession of 2007-09 had lasting, and perhaps transformative effects, on the dynamics of our economy. It was a deep recession that had some unique characteristics, and we have seen a long, slow recovery in…
n 2010, nearly one in every four dollars received in personal income by Arkansans represented a transfer payment from the government. When I cite that statistic, people often seem surprised that it is so high. It is an aspect of…
t the 125th annual meeting of the Arkansas Bankers Association in May, the mood was generally upbeat. And for good reason: Arkansas banks performed relatively well during the recession/financial crisis of 2007-09, and have done better than the national average…
May/June 2016 Issue he unemployment rate in Arkansas has been declining steadily over the past several months — in tandem with the national unemployment rate — and is rapidly approaching pre-recession levels. Now might be a good time to…