McDonald's sales fall short of expectations amid Middle East fallout

McDonald's is among several Western brands that have seen protests and boycott campaigns against them over their perceived pro-Israeli stance

McDonald's warned last month about 'associated misinformation' due to Israel-Hamas war

McDonald's reported its first quarterly sales miss in nearly four years, squeezed by weak sales growth in its business division that includes the Middle East, China and India.

However, the company's overall net profit rose 7% in the fourth quarter, thanks to higher pricing and a let-up in raw material costs. Comparable sales in the company's International Developmental Licensed Markets segment rose 0.7% in the quarter to the end of December, widely missing estimates of a 5.5% growth. The business accounted for 10% of McDonald's overall revenue in the first nine months of 2023.