State index gives up 6.38; 17 stocks fall

The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, fell 6.38 to 336.17 Thursday.

Of the 18 companies on the index, only Wal-Mart posted a gain.

“Rising bond yields and weakness in overseas markets weighed on U.S. equities Thursday in advance of today’s June payroll report as the telecommunications and real estate sectors lagged the broad market,” said Leon Lants, managing director at Stephens Inc. in Little Rock.

Total volume for the index was 18.4 million shares.

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