Julie Morgan

I'm your host, Julie Morgan.

Go out and make it a great day.

Welcome to Seeking Alpha's Wall Street Breakfast, where we cover the top news for investors every morning.

It's good to have you here on this Thursday, February 12th.

I'm Julie Morgan.

McDonald's celebrated with the Grinch that kept on giving this holiday season as promotions helped boost Q4 sales.

McDonald's Corporation rallied on Wednesday after recording its best quarter of the year.

However, the rally did not continue.

Shares are down 0.2% in pre-market action.

Global comparable sales rose 5.7% in Q4.

and were up 6.8% in the U.S.

Notably, the restaurant chain added market share during the quarter without seeing a decline in operating income.

It was also noted that the Minecraft promotion and demand for Grinch collectibles both drove traffic.

The U.S.

comparable sales tally was said to be boosted by marketing initiatives, including the Monopoly event and the Grinch meal.

The Big Arch was noted to be a strong menu offering in select markets where it is being tested.

McDonald's plans to keep adding new beverage options after seeing strong results.

On the development front, McDonald's said the chain is still on track for 50,000 global restaurants by the end of 2027.

New restaurant openings were noted to be accelerating.

Apple's iPhone was the only smartphone to see growth in China sales in January, according to CounterPoint Research.