Justice and the Law:Valedictorian and Ivy League graduate named as person of interest in New York City CEO Killing - YouTube - MSNBC

Deadline White House with Nicolle Wallace and NBC News Correspondent Sam Brock*Arrested on firearms charges in Altoona,Pennsylvania,after a McDonald's worker recognized him, was Luigi Mangione,son of a wealthy Baltimore family that owns multiple country clubs.He attended Stanford University and the University of Pennsylvania,from which he received a Master's degree in engineering.He wrote a three page manifesto attacking the health insurance business in particular and capitalism in general.Update:Mangione has been charged with murder and is being held without bail.

McDonald's Catches Up With Consumer,Industry Trends

We serve the vast majority of the population in all our markets,McDonald's CEO Steve Easterbrook,who is British,told CNBC.There are some who come in for a burger,but we can also innovate at the premium end of the menu.What we're seeing is,incremental purchase of all day breakfast food.It's growing margins and generating a lot of enthusiasm amongst our customers and out team.We have very ambitious plans in tech and across the whole area of helping to make consumers' lives more convenient and more fun.*
In relation to McDonald's as a company,we made the conscious decision to go one dollar above the minimum wage.With health care inflation,it's tough.That's why we've got to increase the bottom line.We're seeing a reduction in crew turnover.That improves the customer experience.*
We're going to cage-free eggs in the US.It's going to take us 10 years to get there because of supply.We use two billion eggs a year.*
Our owner-operators are wonderful,an animated bunch that helps us make the decisions,and we help them make their decisions.When we took the all day breakfast,we got a 98% approval by the owner-operators.Traditional industries are being transformed,and we should not be blind to that.We have a 1+ billion dollar delivery business in Asia.We are building up our digital programme to offer more ordering and payment options and customer loyalty programmes.A number of our regions have been selling mozzarella sticks and they do sell well,Mr.Easterbrook observed.*
McDonald's (MCD)

Renewing McDonald's

Change may be coming to a McDonald's near you.The storied fast food chain is seeking to reinvent itself in light of declining sales worldwide.It wants to be seen as a modern,progressive burger chain,in line with such peers as its former subsidiary Chipotle's,Burger King and Wendy's.Table service is being introduced in Germany.Other updates being tried are customised burgers;less antibiotics in chicken;digital ordering kiosks;and all-day breakfast food.
CEO Steve Easterbrook was brought on to spearhead the new direction,replacing Don Thompson as of 1 March.He will be focusing on turnarounds in the US,Germany,Australia and Japan.Easterbrook,who is British,had been chief brand officer before assuming his new position.Earlier in his career,he had been a McDonald's manager in London before leaving the firm to lead British casual dining chains PizzaExpress and Wagamama.Mr.Easterbrook returned to McDonald's in 2013 as head of UK and Northern Europe,and was credited with an uptick in UK sales.
McDonald's shares closed at 97.83 in New York on Monday,up 0.90%.*
McDonald's (MCD)

Advantage View:Investing In Inflationary Times

With the recent surge in commodity prices,investors may be wondering what their next move should be.In evaluating a company as a possible investment during such times,you must ask how much their input cost is as the cost of final goods;and whether they can pass this cost on or are vulnerable to rising commodity prices.
RiverFront Investment Group sees energy and mining companies as winners in inflationary scenarios.They also like Monsanto,since farmers will plant more crops during such times,and Monsanto produces the seed they need.McDonald's benefits because,with groceries more expensive,McDonald's is more competitive for your food dollars.Commodity firms such as Exxon Mobil would also do well.
Equities in general are an inflation hedge.For goods traded on the global marketplace,we do have inflation issues there,and that's where I would focus,says Doug Sandler,Chief Equity Strategist at RiverFront.
RiverFront Investment Group is an independent,SEC-registered investment advisor,providing asset management,investment advice and leading edge market insights.They are located in Richmond,Virginia.
Monsanto(MON),McDonald's(MCD),Exxon Mobil(XOM)

Final Results for 2008

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 33.84% for 2008,its only gainers being Wal-Mart and McDonald's.The S and P 500 Index dropped 38.49 for the year,while the NASDAQ Composite Index plunged a record 40.54%.The Toronto benchmark was off 35.03% for 2008.In North America,Mexico's stock market fared best,with a drop of just 24.23%.Of the 20 most widely held stocks in the U.S. markets,Johnson and Johnson lost the least,with a decline of 10.3%.

A Thoughtful Group

As I close out the first year of this blog,I would like to thank my small group of committed readers.Knowing you are out there makes this more worthwhile.Some of you are in distant lands.Some of you are financial professionals.All are thoughtful participants in the global economy.Whatever happens in the financial markets,we are all better off for having applied our minds to this subject which affects our daily lives.The best-performing Dow stocks in 2007 as of this morning were McDonald's(MCD),Merck(MRK) and Honeywell International(HON).Such large-cap multinationals remain in favor with many analysts.