Amazon Stock Rebounds After Earnings as $200B Capex Plan Sparks AI Spending Debate 
Oil Prices Slide on US-Iran Talks, Dollar Strength and Profit-Taking Pressure 
Missouri Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Challenging Starbucks’ Diversity and Inclusion Policies 
Fed Governor Lisa Cook Warns Inflation Risks Remain as Rates Stay Steady 
Dollar Near Two-Week High as Stock Rout, AI Concerns and Global Events Drive Market Volatility 
Baidu Approves $5 Billion Share Buyback and Plans First-Ever Dividend in 2026 
U.S. Stock Futures Slide as Tech Rout Deepens on Amazon Capex Shock 
Rio Tinto Shares Hit Record High After Ending Glencore Merger Talks 
RBI Holds Repo Rate at 5.25% as India’s Growth Outlook Strengthens After U.S. Trade Deal 
Thailand Inflation Remains Negative for 10th Straight Month in January 
Nvidia, ByteDance, and the U.S.-China AI Chip Standoff Over H200 Exports 
Global PC Makers Eye Chinese Memory Chip Suppliers Amid Ongoing Supply Crunch 
India–U.S. Interim Trade Pact Cuts Auto Tariffs but Leaves Tesla Out 
Gold and Silver Prices Rebound After Volatile Week Triggered by Fed Nomination 
South Korea’s Weak Won Struggles as Retail Investors Pour Money Into U.S. Stocks 
OpenAI Expands Enterprise AI Strategy With Major Hiring Push Ahead of New Business Offering 
Japanese Pharmaceutical Stocks Slide as TrumpRx.gov Launch Sparks Market Concerns 
Walmart and Sam’s Club are two of the leading names in the retail business in the United States. It was reported that these would be implementing new wage hikes for their pharmacy technicians.
Sam’s Club is also owned by Walmart Inc., but they are operating separately as the former is a membership-only retail store. According to Fox Business, a spokesperson of Walmart clarified that the starting pay for the techs would remain the same at $15 to $22.50 average hourly rate, but the certified technicians’ starting pay is $16.50 and up.
Walmart said that the salary hikes would be more frequent, and by following the company’s new progressive wage model, it will be increasing the wages of pharmacy techs by up to $4 an hour as starting base pay over four years. The techs can expect to have pay hikes every six months within their first two years on the job.
It was also revealed the company has plans to hire around 5,000 new pharmacy technicians this year. For the wage increase on average hourly rates, more than 36,000 techs are covered, and their first raise took effect last week.
“Effective this week, we are raising pay for our more than 36,000 Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacy technicians, increasing their average hourly wage to more than $20 an hour,” Kevin Host, senior vice president, Walmart Health & Wellness, Pharmacy and Sean Jackson, senior vice president, Sam’s Club GMM, Health and Wellness/Consumables jointly stated in a blog post.
The executives further said, “Pharmacy technicians will get more frequent, automatic pay raises as we introduce a new, progressive wage model designed to set us apart from the competition.”
Finally, Host added that this is the second time that they made considerable investments for the salaries of this group of associates in the past year. He explained that through this move, they are sending a strong message to pharmacy techs that the company is serious about giving them the tools to have a successful career in the field. This is also a step for Walmart to attract top talents.
