Tyree Johnson scrubs himself with a bar of soap in a McDonald’s bathroom and puts on fresh deodorant.

US stocks rose last night after a strong gain in retail spending suggested that consumers could be getting more confident about the US economy. Bank stocks rose broadly after Citigroup delivered a strong earnings report.

Yum Brands, the owner of the Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and KFC fast-food brands, said its third-quarter profit grew 7% on the strength of surging overseas sales, mainly in China.

Booming business in China has helped push up first quarter profits at fast food operator Yum Brands by 11%.

The parent company of KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut today said it has temporarily closed several New York City restaurants owned by the franchisee that operated a Manhattan eatery overrun with rats.

The Dow Jones industrial average broke through 11,900 to close at a record high today, boosted by optimism over the health of US corporate earnings.

Fast food chain KFC is being sued in the United States in an attempt to stop it cooking its fried chicken in partially hydrogenated oil containing trans fatty acids.

Stocks in the United States ended a listless session little changed today as cautious investors found few reasons to put money into the market, even as upbeat remarks on Alcoa and General Motors helped prop up the Dow Jones industrials.