On the go: Amazon delivery is coming to Whole Foods. The online retailing giant plans to roll out two-hour delivery at the organic grocer this year to those who pay for Amazon’s $99-a-year Prime membership. The move is the latest by Amazon to put its stamp on its recent purchase of Whole Foods. Amazon has cut prices on bananas, yogurt and other items, and began selling Kindle e-readers in some of its 470 stores. The service starts today in Austin, Cincinnati, Dallas, and Virginia Beach, Virginia, and will be nationwide by the end of this year. Read more.
Beating expectations: CVS Health’s earnings nearly doubled in the last quarter of 2017, fueled by a $1.5 billion tax benefit that helped counter a flat performance from its drugstores. CVS earned $3.29 billion in the fourth quarter. The company also says it will use part of its federal tax overhaul benefit to beef up employee compensation and start a new parental leave program. CVS Health runs the nation’s second-largest drugstore chain with more than 9,800 locations. The company also processes more than a billion prescriptions annually as a pharmacy benefit manager. Read more.
The latest: The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives were expected to vote today on a proposed budget deal that would avert another government shutdown at midnight. But Reuters reports the deal has angered fiscal conservatives who complain it would lead to a $1 trillion deficit. The bipartisan deal reached by Senate leaders on Wednesday raises spending on military and domestic programs by almost $300 billion over the next two years. The plan faced resistance from conservatives in the Republican Party, who favor less spending on domestic government programs. Read more.
