Wal-Mart is raising minimum wage to $11 and dishing out a one-time bonus for employees, citing the Trump Tax Reform plan. Karen Short, Managing Director at Barclays, was with us to discuss the ramifications of the decision.
Short estimates that Wal-Mart could generate $4 billion in incremental free cash flow due to the tax reform, and adds that the wage hike is just of portion of the allocation. The analyst says that the "strong will get stronger" and other retailers will have to follow Wal-Mart's lead.
Tax reform narrows the advantage Amazon has over traditional retailers such as Wal-Mart, says Short. She says Wal-Mart has an advantage over Amazon because it is the largest grocer with low prices. Short also adds that the stigma surrounding Wal-Mart products has dissipated and is no longer a "turnoff" to millennials because the products have gotten better.
The Trump administration has ordered the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to stop nearly all its work, effectively shutting down the agency that was created to protect consumers after the 2008 financial crisis and subprime mortgage-lending scandal. Russell Vought is the newly installed director of the Office of Management and Budget. Vought directed the CFPB in a Saturday night email to stop work on proposed rules, to suspend the effective dates on any rules that were finalized but not yet effective, and to stop investigative work and not begin any new investigations. The agency has been a target of conservatives since President Barack Obama created it following the 2007-2008 financial crisis.
Jeff Benedict, author of 'The Dynasty,' weighs in on the Kansas City Chiefs being the next big dynasty, who he thinks will win Super Bowl LIX and more. Watch!
Susan Bourgeois, Louisiana Economic Development Secretary, talks preparations for Super Bowl LIX, plus Meta’s $10B data center coming soon to North Louisiana.
