Quick Take — Fourth quarter comparable sales increased 4.6% for Walmart’s US operations. Slowdown expected for next year due to ‘Trump factor’

For the fiscal year 2025, Walmart’s sales were $681.0 billion, up 5.1%. Operating income increased by $2.3 billion, or 8.6%, growing faster than sales. The company increased its dividend by 13% to 94 cents per share, its largest increase in more than a decade.. Great e-commerce progression. But Trump’s policies sow uncertainty about the future and a possible slowdown in sales: “Uncertainty about the economic impact of President Donald Trump’s trade policies is dampening expectations for how consumer spending will hold up this year. Just look at Walmart, which today projected that its revenue growth this fiscal year would slow to between 3% and 4%, compared with 5% for the year that ended Jan. 31, 2025″ Theo Wayt

Compiled 20 February, updated 21 February 2025

Quick Take — USA: Thousands of tonnes of eggs will be imported from Turkey due to bird flu

According to the Department of Agriculture, about 18 million birds will be culled in December 2024 and 23 million in January 2025. In three years, the spread of the H5N1 virus has forced American farms to cull 158 million turkeys, chickens and, above all, laying hens (from FT: some retailers, including Walmart, are rationing egg sales to the public).

This disease will affect inflation in the US