McDonald’s shares hit a four-year low on Wednesday after an $8.5 billion franchisee support plan outlined at its investor day failed to reassure investors. Chief Executive Chris Kempczinski said elevated inflation and flat traffic in the company’s wholly owned markets would continue to pressure restaurants, while investor Peter Schiff contrasted that outlook with Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh’s view that inflation expectations remain anchored at 2%. U.S. annual inflation held at 3.4% in August, gasoline prices rose 3.9% for the month, and higher fuel costs continued to squeeze household budgets. The national average gasoline price reached $4.4744 a gallon, while diesel reached $6.5276. McDonald’s was heading for a seventh consecutive weekly loss, its longest such streak since July 2014. A subsequent market account put the last close at $237.43, while an earlier report said the shares fell 5.4% to $234.88. UBS, Citigroup and Morgan Stanley lowered price targets, while Seaport Global began coverage at Neutral and saw no meaningful improvement before mid-2027.