This chart shows the year over year change in a very important data series. Guess what it is.
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If you said the underlying data is comparable store sales for McDonalds in the United States, which just dipped by 1.4% - the most since the Lehman crash - then you were 100% accurate. That's right: in Q4 the American consumer, obviously "because of the weather" just said no to the biggest US diet staple.
In other words, the chart above shows close to the exact moment when Americans could no longer even afford to eat at the golden arches.
And now, as the economists say, "assume a recovery..."