A banner year came to a bumpy end for McDonald’s, which lost sales in many markets due to the war in Gaza. The Chicago-based company said its global same-store sales – or sales at restaurants open at least a year – rose 3.4% in the October-December period. That was lower than Wall Street was expecting. McDonald's had warned last month that it was facing protests and boycotts in the Middle East over its perceived support for Israel. Despite the turmoil in some markets, McDonald’s revenue rose 8% to $6.4 billion in the fourth quarter, meeting analysts’ expectations. It also posted a higher-than-expected per-share profit.
