Business News

Economists at a northwest Arkansas business forecast predicted “modest expansion” for the state and national economies with little worry of a full-blown second recession.

“I think the time to panic was in the past,” said Paul Thomas, chief economist with Intel Corp.

Another Wall Street analyst, Farha Aslam of Stephens Inc., downgraded Tyson Foods shares to a hold or neutral position earlier today (Wed. Jan. 25) on sustained heavy beef losses.

According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, startups rose nearly 60% nationally from 2010 to 2011 (from 8-12%). In early January, Price Waterhouse revealed a 22% increase in venture capitalist funds over the same period, rising to $28.4 billion.

Homebuilders and commercial construction firms registered a healthier pulse across Benton and Washington counties last year. The cumulative new building permit values in Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, Bentonville and Siloam Springs jumped 27.3% during 2011.

An estimated unemployment decline of 3,200 and an estimated employment increase of almost 6,300 resulted in lowering Arkansas’ December jobless rate to 7.7% compared to 7.9% during November.

Seven banks in Arkansas are still on the hook to the Treasury Department for more than $93 million they took as part of a government initiative in early 2009 known as the Troubled Asset Relief Program or TARP.

Walmart’s Sam’s Club is breaking new ground appointing its first female chief executive officer in company history. Rosalind Brewer, 49, will replace Brian Cornell, 52, who is returning to the Northeast for family reasons, according to a company statement issued Friday morning (Jan. 20).

Conway-based Home BancShares and Pine Bluff-based Simmons First National Corp. reported fourth quarter earnings on Thursday (Jan. 19), with Home BancShares up and Simmons posting a decline.

The Little Rock District of the Army Corps of Engineers says “tight budgets” will lead to changes at several of its parks, including closing less-efficient facilities.