The company’s action “can’t be considered coerced because there’s almost no chance of a minimum-wage increase during the rest of Obama’s term,” said Gary Burtless, a senior economist with the Brookings Institution in Washington.

The White House hailed the Walmart action, calling it “another example of businesses along with cities and states taking action on their own to raise wages for their workers.”

News of Walmart’s pay decision came Thursday as it announced it expects sales growth this year of 1 percent to 2 percent, down from a previous forecast of 4 percent. Investors punished the company for the changes, sending its share price down as much as 3.2 percent.

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