by Michael Pakko | Oct 7, 2022
State-level data for Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE), the most comprehensive measure of consumer spending, came out this week. The data are only available at an annual frequency, with the new data covering the year 2021. Arkansas growth was 12.8%, slightly...
by Michael Pakko | Nov 9, 2021
The most recent information from our Retail Trade and Food Service Sales data show that consumers maintained a summer of soaring spending during July and August. Compared to a year earlier, the July-August average was up 15.6% in Arkansas. In the national Retail...
by Michael Pakko | Oct 14, 2021
The annual data on state-level Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) were published last week by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The data for Arkansas reaffirm our observation that Arkansas consumers maintained relatively high levels of spending during the depths...
by Michael Pakko | Jul 22, 2021
After a brief weather-related contraction in February, consumer spending surged in March and remained elevated in April. Data for Arkansas Retail Sales shows that spending patterns in our state are matching the national data, with even larger increases relative to...
by Michael Pakko | Apr 23, 2021
Despite a sharp drop-off in automobile purchases, Arkansas Retail Sales increased sharply in January (seasonally adjusted). Total Retail and Food Service Sales increased 6.1% from December. Compared to a year earlier, sales were up 11.2%. National Retail Sales...
by Michael Pakko | Mar 29, 2021
One of the most significant and unexpected features of the Arkansas economy during the COVID-19 pandemic has been the robust behavior of consumer spending. Despite sharp increases in unemployment and losses in earnings, Arkansas consumers maintained and even exceeded...
