Overall sales rose 1.1 percent and same-store sales in the U.S. decreased 0.4 percent, but Wal-Mart Stores still saw a strong increase in profits and it boosted its guidance for the remainder of the fiscal year.

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According to 2008 statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Arkansas’ personal income rose to $32,397 placing the state 46th among the 50 states.

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A Talk Business Quarterly Poll of 600 Arkansans revealed that 70 percent believe the state’s economy is moving in a negative direction.

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The state’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at 7.1 percent in September.

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Construction of the new plant will begin in 2011 on 90 acres at Fort Chaffee.

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By Roby Brock When the Arkansas Lottery was created, it was structured in a way that it would borrow funds to pay for its start-up costs and would eventually be self-sufficient. Lottery officials are now projecting that if sales trends continue at expected levels, the lottery will be debt-free by next week. Legislators appropriated $6 million for [...]

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By Roby Brock This week, U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) was one of two Democrats to twice cast a “no” vote for a public-option insurance plan, which has unified the Republican base, but divided Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee. Lincoln has said repeatedly that she supports efforts to cover the uninsured and to reform federal rules [...]

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Governor Mike Beebe and state economic officials will travel to Europe in early October to meet with leaders of businesses invested in Arkansas.

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Claiborne Deming, former Murphy Oil CEO and the chief architect of the El Dorado Promise, said early results show that the $50 million scholarship program is a “stunning success.”

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For the first time in 42 months, statewide home sales rose in July by 1.6 percent.

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