December 8, 2025
Here are our picks for top news impacting retailers today:
- McDonald’s indicated plans to assess its franchisees as to how well their prices are delivering value to customers, leaning into its recent push to establish itself as having a strong value proposition in a competitive market comprised of consumers wary of price hikes. “Effective January 1, 2026, we are enhancing our global franchising standards across all Segments to reinforce accountability for value leadership,” Andrew Gregory, McDonald’s senior vice president of global franchising, development and delivery, wrote in a memo (via CNBC).
- The Federal Reserve is expected to deliver an interest rate cut of 25 basis points this week, with futures suggesting an 86% chance that the Fed enacts said rate cut. “Everyone is expecting the Fed cut now… but what’s more important will be how many dissenters there will be. It could be one of the first meetings in history where the decision could be split seven for a cut and five members against it, and that will be a huge signal for next year’s rate cut expectations,” said Nabil Milali, portfolio manager at Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management (via Reuters).
- Starbucks is hinting that fans of the coffee chain might have a second chance to score its viral Bearista Cold Cup. The news comes after strong consumer demand created a supply shortage of the cup, with customers exhibiting degrees of anger and annoyance via social media over the out-of-stock (via USA Today).
- China has, for the first time recorded a trade surplus in excess of $1 trillion, registered at $1.076 trillion. This figure comes despite continued tariff pressure on the nation (via South China Morning Post).
- Paramount has announced a hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery following news that Netflix had acquired the media empire. It claims its deal is more valuable, coming in at $30 per share (in cash) versus Netflix’s offer of $27.75 per share ($23.25 in cash, and $4.50 in stock). “We’re sitting on Wall Street, where cash is still king. We are offering shareholders $17.6 billion more cash than the deal they currently have signed up with Netflix. And we believe when they see what it currently in our offer, then that’s what they’ll vote for,” Paramount CEO David Ellison said (via CNN Business).