State index up 3.72 to 602.64 at close

The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, closed Wednesday at 602.64, up 3.72.

“Equities traded higher early in the session but subsequently fell in afternoon trading to close modestly lower with cyclicals outperforming growth stocks as earnings season for the first quarter kicks into gear,” said Leon Lants, managing director at Stephens Inc.

Shares of America’s Car-Mart rose 3.4%. USA Truck shares fell 1.6%.

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