Index picks up 2.61 as 12 stocks climb

The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, rose 2.61 to 344.45 Monday.

Twelve stocks advanced, four declined and one was unchanged.

Shares of USA Truck gained 4.8 percent in heavy trading.

Dillard’s Inc. shares rose 3.1 percent each.

Shares of El Doradobased Murphy Oil fell 1.1 percent in average trading volume.

Bear State Financial fell 1 percent on low volume.

Total volume for the index was 23.3 million shares.

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