WEEK IN REVIEW
Monday Travel ban hits hom me
Fallout from the Whit te House’s immigration ban came from the streets of Houston to the halls of the Texas Medical Center as business leaders pondered the implications for cabdrivers, medical researchers and others whose livelihoods depend on free travel to and from the U.S.
Refugee hiring
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz added to the chorus of tech industry executives speaking out against President Donald Trump’s travel ban order, announcing plans for the coffee behemoth to hire 10,000 refugees over five years in 75 countries.
Tuesday Aparting of ways
Mattress Firm will stop carrying products by supplier Tempur Sealy, months after the Houston company was acquired by South African conglomerate Steinhoff International Holdings.
Declaring the bust over
AUniversity of Houston economiste and a group of commercial real estate brokers separately delivered mostly upbeat messages that the worst of the oil bust is over.
RecordR iPhone sales
Apple announced that it sold 78.2 million iPhones in its first fiscal quarter, a record for any single quarter in the company’s history.h
SupplierS gets blame
Federal inspections of the cookie dough maker involved in Blue Bell’s latest listeriarelated recall have confirmed thatt the bacteria stemmed from th he outside supplier.
Wal-Mart’sW online changes
Wal-Mart said it was replacing a program that offered free shipping but had an annual fee with one that has a lower free shipping threshold and faster delivery as it hoped to answer Amazon’s powerful Prime membership success.
Wednesday Arecord for remittances
Mexicans living abroad sent home almost $27 billion in 2016, the highest yearly figure on record, the nation’s central bank reported.
Thursday Weatherford to cut more
Weatherford International said it will sell two of its major divisions and cut more jobs worldwide as the oil field services provider repositions itself as a smaller company with a narrower focus.
Coldwarends
Texas cooler rivals Yeti and Rtic announced that they reached a settlement on their litigation, and Rtic will have to redesign its products.
Carcrescendo ahead?
Group 1 Automotive, the area’s largest dealership operator, posted stronger fourth-quarter earnings as Houston-area auto retailers struggling in the wake of the oil bust look for stronger sales in 2017.
Friday Moving to cut regulations
Trump moved to roll back the Obama administration’s legacy on financial regulation, announcing a series of steps to revisit the rules enacted after the 2008 financial crisis while taking policy advice from the Wall Street titans he had demonized during his campaign.
From staff and wire reports