McDonald’s (MCD) Stumbles on Global Sales Slowdown

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) is getting punished Friday on data showing same-store sales around the globe have slowed down, dropping to 3.5 percent in August. Part of that came from poor sales in Japan.

Analysts had been looking for sales growth to come in at 4.9 percent for the month of August, dropping by 0.3 percent in Africa, the Middle East and the Asia/Pacific market.

That wasn't the entire story though, as the fast food restaurant also had sales under expectations in Europe and the U.S. as well. That suggest continuing concerns by consumers concerning the ongoing recession.

A couple factors seem at play in general. One is the probable effects of Hurricane Irene on sales, and the increasing price pressure coming from rising commodity prices, which has forced McDonald's to raise some menu prices.

McDonald’s was trading at $84.13, falling $4.48, or 5.06 percent, as of 12:35 PM EDT.