Mathematical Money | October 1, 2026 $MCD McDonald's is 32% below its February high and made a new low every single session last week. Plenty of people are asking whether this is the moment to step in. I don't own it, I've been watching it, and my answer is not yet. Here's the reasoning, fundamental and technical, including the part where my own framework got caught out. What actually happened on the 23rd This wasn't a market selloff dragging a good company down. McDonald's fell 4.8% on the day of its own investor day, which is a fairly unusual way to lose money. Management laid out a strategy called NEXT — roughly $8.5 billion of franchisee support through 2036, going into restaurant remodels, technology and operations, with targets for share gains in chicken and beverages and an operatin
McDonald's stock price plummeted 30% in six months, marking its worst performance since 2002.
McDonald's stock price has fallen nearly 31% from its February high, and is down 22% year-to-date, marking its worst annual performance since 2002. The price increase damaged the brand's cost-effectiveness image, resulting in slight negative growth in same-store sales in the United States.