McDonald's posts biggest U.S. sales decline in nearly five years

Over in the United States, McDonald's reported a 1.4% decline in the country's same-store sales, in the fourth quarter of last year, marking its most significant domestic sales drop in five years.

The downturn is attributed to an E. coli outbreak in October, linked to the fast food chain's Quarter Pounder burgers, which affected over a hundred individuals across 14 states and resulted in one death.

Despite challenges, global same-store sales increased by 0.4%, driven by strong performances in international markets, particularly in the Middle East and Japan.

Overall, the company's fourth-quarter revenue remained steady at 6.4 billion U.S. dollars.