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McDonald’s is bringing the value back to value meals — but Wall Street is watching

The Big Mac maker is leaning back into value deals as traffic cools and Goldman bets on a rebound.

9/2/25 2:48PM

McDonald’s is dialing down its combo prices in a bid to win back budget-conscious diners. Starting today, the chain will roll out eight Extra Value Meals, from the Big Mac to the Sausage McMuffin with Egg, priced about 15% below what you’d pay buying each item separately. Specials will also include an $8 Big Mac meal and a $5 breakfast combo, with breakfast offerings for popular items like the McGriddle.

Earlier this month, McDonald’s shares jumped after the burger giant posted a sales rebound in Q2 after a rough start to the year. Still, recent price hikes and online backlash over menu costs have been eating into its bottom line, with same-store traffic slipping, especially among customers earning under $45,000 a year. McDonald’s follows rivals like Yum! Brands’ Taco Bell and Dunkin’ rolling out more value meals to lure folks back into the drive-thru.

The chain hasn’t just brought back combos; last month, McDonald’s brought back its long-lost Snack Wrap after “countless posts” and online petitions asking for its return to menus nine years after it was removed.

Goldman Sachs also gave McDonald’s a fresh boost Tuesday, adding the stock to its high-profile Conviction List and setting a 12-month price target for $355 — or about 12% above its current trading levels. Analysts cited Mickey D’s global scale, digital ordering push, and brand loyalty as giving it staying power even as rivals turn up the heat with cheaper menu deals.

McDonald’s shares rose about 1% following the release, and are up roughly 7% year to date.

Max Knoblauch10/16/25

Uber launches “digital tasks” in the US, paying some drivers to train AI

Beginning later this fall, US Uber drivers will be able to earn money by completing short “digital tasks” like uploading restaurant menus or recording audio samples.

CEO Dara Khosrowshahi teased the new gig income stream back in June at the Bloomberg Tech conference.

At that time, Khosrowshahi said drivers and couriers were “labeling maps, translating language, looking at AI answers, and grading AI answers.” According to Thursday’s announcement, the tasks won’t be so focused on Uber’s business, but instead on connecting workers with “companies that need real people to help improve their technology.”

Per Uber, digital tasks can be done when drivers aren’t on a trip, be it at home or when not driving, and will take only “a few minutes” each.

Uber’s having drivers train its AI while partnering with robotaxi companies that could replace them

Per Uber, digital tasks can be done when drivers aren’t on a trip, be it at home or when not driving, and will take only “a few minutes” each.

Max Knoblauch

10/15/25

United Airlines posts stronger-than-expected profit but weaker sales in its third quarter

United’s full-year profit outlook falls somewhere in between the dual forecasts it issued back in April.

United Airlines Airplanes at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey

Hyunsoo Rim, David Crowther

HEAD OF MACROS

10/15/25

Pop-Tarts, Doritos, and Uncrustables have joined the protein craze taking over America’s snack aisle

Food giants are catching up with the latest diet obsession.

Apple TV dropped the “plus” as streamers keep pulling back on originals

After the spray-and-pray approach led to a wave of cancellations, Hollywood is settling into an era of just making fewer shows.

Hyunsoo Rim10/15/25

Max Knoblauch10/14/25

The average price of a new vehicle in the US passed $50,000 for the first time ever in September

The average price of a new vehicle in the US surpassed $50,000 in September, according to Cox Automotive’s Kelley Blue Book.

At $50,080, that’s the highest industry average ever, reflecting the price hikes faced by new car buyers in recent years amid pandemic supply shortages, tariff-induced increases, and the high cost of EV production. The figure marks a 3.6% jump from the same month last year.

“Tariffs have introduced new cost pressure to the business, but the pricing story in September was mostly driven by the healthy mix of EVs and higher-end vehicles pushing the new-vehicle ATP into uncharted territory,” Cox executive analyst Erin Keating said. Passing the $50,000 mark was inevitable, Keating said, especially considering that the country’s bestseller is a Ford truck that “routinely costs north of $65,000.”

Year over year, new vehicle prices rose nearly 6% for GM, while Ford’s climbed 2.5%. Volkswagen new prices were up 12.5%.

As prices climb, so do delinquencies on loans to borrowers with lower credit scores. Recent data from Fitch Ratings shows the portion of subprime US auto loans 60 days or more overdue reached 6.43% in August.

McDonald’s is bringing the value back to value meals — but Wall Street is watching

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Uber launches “digital tasks” in the US, paying some drivers to train AI

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The average price of a new vehicle in the US passed $50,000 for the first time ever in September

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