Arkansas Economist: Uncertainty, But No Recession for State

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Dr. Michael Pakko, the Chief Economist for the Arkansas Economic Development Institute presented his outlook for the state’s economy at the annual Arkansas Economic Forecast Luncheon last week. In his view, the state’s economy will avoid recession, but will continue to grow at a slow pace over the near term, with payrolls increasing by less than 1% and GDP growing less than 2%. He identified tariffs, the health of the agricultural sector, and weakness in consumer spending as sources of risk and uncertainty for the Arkansas economy.


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