‘Key Macro Indicator’ Of US Financial Crisis Rears Its Clownish Head Again

McDonald’s sales fell for the first time since 2020 in its second quarter, data revealed Monday, signaling a “key macro indicator” of a financial crisis.

Sales in McDonald’s products fell short of analyst expectations for “modest growth,” dropping 1% from the previous year, according to Bloomberg. The outlet stated that a decline in foot traffic certainly contributed to the downward trend, even though walking is not something most people would associate with the stereotypical McDonald’s consumer. But the sales decline also signals something a little scarier that could impact all of us.

In April 2023, McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski said on an earnings call that, “[their] view remains unchanged, which is our base expectation is for a mild recession in the U.S,” as suggested by one of the company’s key macro indicators: sales, or units per transactions, at McDonald’s locations around the world.

From McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski, this is the key macro indicator to watch: pic.twitter.com/SmEGKKVlbC

— Joe Weisenthal (@TheStalwart) April 26, 2023

McDonald’s stock has fallen 15% in 2024 as of close on Friday, despite a 14% gain for the S&P 500 index over the same time frame, Bloomberg noted. (RELATED: Viral McDonalds Ax-Rage Guy Gets Rammed By Car After Another Altercation)

Another major contributing factor to the drop is the high prices now-normalized at crap fast food restaurants in the U.S. McDonald’s locations in the Middle East are reportedly being impacted by the Israel-Hamas war, while sales are just generally declining in places like China and France.

Part of me hopes the decline in sales is because humanity is finally waking up to how unhealthy most fast food is for us. But we all know we’re cutting back on spending because the price of a meal is far above the true value. Personally, I think we’re already well into a major financial crisis and recession and I worry that once we see more restaurants shutting down, we’ll start to feel the impact on the real estate market. Lord only knows where we go from there.