The U.S. tax reform pushed by the Trump Administration has prompted many corporations to announce bonuses and wage hikes for their employees. Starbucks is one of the latest to boost its compensation and benefits package in light of the recent changes in U.S. tax law. Ron Crawford, VP of Benefits at Starbucks, was with us to discuss the company's investment in benefits.
Starbucks said the U.S. tax reform accelerated its latest investment in paid leave and wages. Had there not been tax reform, Crawford said Starbucks still would have made investments in compensation, but the timing and the extent of it may have been different. The offerings will total more than $250 million for more than 150,000 workers.
Digital apps and emerging technologies are driving more coffee runs to Starbucks, says Crawford. He believes digitization has brought more customers to its stores and boosted interactions between customers and employees. Starbucks is pumping in $7 billion of capital to build and renovate stores, manufacturing plants and technology platforms in the U.S. over the next five years.
More earnings and economic data. Cheddar News takes a peek at next week's Wall Street schedule, including reports from Home Depot, Walmart and Nvidia as well as home sales numbers.
Transit technology company Via raised $110 million in a new round of financing. Clara Fain, chief financial officer of Via, joined Cheddar News to discuss the company's mission to digitize public transit globally.
Over 100,000 job cuts were announced across major industries in January, according to a report. Jon Bell, an employment attorney with Bell Law Group, joined Cheddar News to discuss unemployment benefits and severance packages.
Karen Robbins, senior vice president with UBS Wealth Management, joined Cheddar News to discuss Friday's mixed session as officials hinted at more interest rate hikes.
The Week's Top Stories is a guided tour through the biggest market stories of the week, from winning stocks to brutal dips to the facts and forecasts generating buzz on Wall Street.
A new study predicts that rising energy costs that have followed in the wake of Russia's war with Ukraine could push millions of people around the globe into extreme poverty.
