Arkansas Index dips amid variant reports

The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, closed Wednesday at 746.02, down 9.40.

“Equities rallied overnight but reversed course in afternoon trading following confirmation of the first omicron coronavirus variant in the United States as the consumer discretionary and communication services underperformed,” said Leon Lants, managing director at Stephens Inc.

The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.