Arkansas’ economic forecast decent, despite uncertainties, experts say

Arkansas' economy is expected to do "fairly well" in the near future, economists said Thursday, while growing uncertainty remains.

Michael Pakko, chief economist and state economic forecaster at the Arkansas Economic Development Institute, made his predictions Thursday at the Arkansas Economist Forecast luncheon. He dubbed 2025 the "year of uncertainty."

Executives with the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank also provided national economic predictions and context.

Because of the government shutdown, economic data from the third quarter has not been released. Earlier predictions can't be updated for lack of new data.

Pakko acknowledged the challenges row-crop farmers are facing and how that contributed to his predictions for the overall Arkansas economy.

In his forecast, Pakko said Arkansa