sentence1: Starbucks was one of the first companies to recognize the United States was in a recession when it halted its expansion plans last July. Still sensitive to the spending habits of consumers, the company has not glimpsed an end to that recession. Howard D. Schultz, Starbucks' chief executive, told investors Wednesday after announcing that the company's second-quarter net income had dropped 77 percent that, "The global economy continues to be weak." He also said, "We did not see any improvement in U.S. consumer spending in Q2," and added that he was not expecting any improvement in 2009.
sentence2: Starbucks is an investment company.