☕ New Parisian pastries

McDonald’s debuts its response to Starbucks... [Advertisement][Advertisement][Advertisement] December 08, 2023 [View Online]( | [Sign Up]( | [Shop]( [Morning Brew]( PRESENTED BY [BMW]( Good morning. Sorry you didn’t win Time’s Person of the Year and sure, it hurts that Barbie, a fictional character, was nominated over you, a real person. But there’s always next year—and the first step toward building a strong resume for 2024’s Person of the Year is getting your finances in tip-top shape. To help, we highly recommend Money with Katie’s Wealth Planner. This planner is your all-in-one tool to keep track of your net worth, create a spending plan that you’ll actually stick to, set you on the right budgeting path, and lots more. [Check out the Wealth Planner]( then prepare your acceptance speech for your victory over Sonic the Hedgehog next December. —Matty Merritt, Molly Liebergall, Cassandra Cassidy, Abby Rubenstein, Neal Freyman MARKETS Nasdaq 14,339.99 +1.37% S&P 4,585.59 +0.80% Dow 36,117.38 +0.17% 10-Year 4.156% +4.7 bps Bitcoin $43,151.08 -1.41% Alphabet $136.93 +5.31% *Stock data as of market close, cryptocurrency data as of 4:00am ET. [Here's what these numbers mean.]( - Markets: The Dow and the S&P 500 each [snapped]( a three-day losing streak, giving investors a little relief as they await today’s jobs report. Google’s parent, Alphabet, rose as investors cheered the news of the release of its next-gen AI tech, [Gemini](.  FOOD & BEV [The golden arches come for Dunkin’ and Starbucks]( [CosMc’s logo on futuristic sign for the new restaurant.]( McDonald’s McDonald’s is getting into the little treat business. The fast-food chain is [opening]( the first location of its new restaurant concept, CosMc, today in Bolingbrook, Illinois, and nine more are set to open in Texas next year. The restaurant focuses on caffeinated drinks and afternoon pick-me-up snacks. Remember that surfing alien? CosMc was a creature featured in the chain’s [ads]( in the 1980s and ’90s. He was a surfer-cyborg from outer space who craved McDonald’s food. (This was back when advertising was truly inspired.) The new restaurants won’t be nearly as chaotic as their namesake—but the menu does look just a tad chaotic. CosMc’s will offer up drinks like a Churro Frappé, S’mores Cold Brew, and Blackberry Mint Green Tea, as well as pretzel bites and sweet treats. The company’s CEO Chris Kempczinski told investors this week that customers grabbing a quick pre-work coffee or a midday fruity tea are a “$100 billion category” that’s growing faster than the rest of fast food. McDonald’s has been down this road before. The burger chain sought to elevate its coffee game in 2008 by putting espresso machines in its US locations, but customers were pretty lukewarm about adding fancy coffees to their Big Mac order. The chain still offers a wide range of beverages, but it has bigger dreams than being your last option on a road trip. - International audiences already seem to like its brew. Australia is so obsessed with McCafé that it was the nation’s most visited coffee shop in 2019, according to research firm Roy Morgan. Looking ahead…though McDonald’s is determined to get the US on board this time, Kempczinski was clear when setting expectations for CosMcs. If, after reviewing a year’s worth of data, they don’t think the global market will embrace the new brand, CosMc’s may go the way of McSpaghetti or Mayor McCheese. Either way, McDonald’s is expanding: The chain has plans to open almost [10,000]( McD’s restaurants worldwide in the next four years.—MM   PRESENTED BY BMW [Driveway stuffer stocking stuffer]( [BMW]( This holiday season, drive into the BMW Road Homes Sales Event and bring home a little extra cheer with a new BMW to brighten up your driveway. Now through Jan. 2, you can get [offers on select BMWs](. Stand out from the holiday crowd in the sleek, stylish, and 100% electric BMX i5, or upgrade your sleigh ride with the engaging BMX iX. Take advantage of all that the holidays have to offer at the BMW Road Home Sales Event. Get [exceptional offers]( on select vehicles like the BMW X3 and X5, both built to deliver the ultimate gift of undeniable style and riveting performance. However you choose to take on the road this holiday, make sure the most wonderful time of the year lives up to its name with a brand-new BMW. [Shop the BMW Road Home Sales Event now through Jan. 2](. WORLD [Tour de headlines](#) [Pantone's Color of the Year, Peach Fuzz]Pantone Get ready to see a lot of Peach Fuzz. The color mavens at Pantone have anointed Peach Fuzz, otherwise known as PANTONE 13-1023, as 2024’s [Color of the Year](. Pantone describes the hue as “a velvety gentle peach tone whose all-embracing spirit enriches mind, body, and soul,” and you can expect to see it everywhere from bridesmaid dresses to cell phones. It’s the 25th year Pantone has picked a trending [annual color](. This year’s was Viva Magenta, and the first one was Cerulean, selected from a pile of stuff in 1999. Texas judge okays woman’s request for an abortion. In a case believed to be the first of its kind since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a Texas judge [ruled]( in favor of Kate Cox, a mother of two who sued the state for permission to have an abortion after her fetus was diagnosed with a fatal condition. Cox, who is 20 weeks pregnant, was seeking an exception to the state’s ban on abortions after six weeks. The judge’s ruling applies only to Cox—and the state could appeal it—but the Texas Supreme Court is also separately considering a broader medical exception to the state’s abortion restrictions. Hunter Biden indicted on nine federal tax charges. New charges were [filed against]( President Joe Biden’s son in California stemming from a special counsel’s investigation into tax issues from his overseas business dealings, including failure to file and pay taxes. Hunter Biden, who was also already facing separate federal charges in Delaware over a gun purchase, at one point looked poised to resolve the charges against him through a plea deal, but a judge rejected the deal. The new charges will likely further complicate his father’s bid for reelection. MEDIA [Russia’s latest propaganda tools are celebrity Cameos]( [A television displays Russian flag over static ]( Francis Scialabba Cameo, the app that lets you pay celebrities to make videos—which Rudy Giuliani once graced with a video of himself [reciting]( “I’m a Little Teapot”—has recently been used for even more sinister purposes. Since July, an unknown Russian group has been buying and doctoring Cameos from celebrities including Mike Tyson, Elijah Wood, and at least five others, Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center discovered. Apparently unbeknownst to the celebs, their customized messages were [manipulated]( to appear to endorse the Kremlin-peddled false claim that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky suffers from drug and alcohol abuse. How’d this happen? The [targeted celebs]( were paid to encourage someone named Vladimir (which is how Zelensky’s name tends to be spelled in Russia) to seek treatment. “Hi, Vladimir, Elijah here,” Wood said in his Cameo. “I hope you can get the help you need.” The videos—some edited to look like the celebs had posted them on their Instagram feeds—have spread throughout Russian media, from massive state news organizations to popular social platforms. In the limelight: Cameo already made headlines this week for its hottest new creator, expelled congressman George Santos. The downed diva/alleged fraudster has been churning out [$400 videos]( and already received enough [requests]( to top his congressional salary.—ML   TOGETHER WITH FIDELITY [Fidelity]( Accessible retirement, anyone? Traditional 401(k)s were often out of reach for small-business owners and their employees…until pooled employer plans (PEPs) showed up. These new plans are more accessible, and [Fidelity has one]( that’s specifically designed for small-biz owners looking to start a 401(k) for the first time. [Learn more](. INTERNATIONAL [Krispy Kreme in Paris]( [Photo of the “Hot Now” sign at Krispy Kreme]( Dimitar Dilkoff/Getty Images The North Carolina-based donut chain opened its first French location in Paris yesterday in a space it took over from an acclaimed Michelin-starred chef. That 500 French people lined up outside the new Krispy Kreme store—some overnight—awaiting a hot glazed donut is the latest sign that the country’s culinary perspective is shifting away from three-hour-dinners and toward [fast, cheap food]( - France is the second-biggest market (behind the US) for McDonald’s, which did $6.5 billion in sales there last year, and Burger King, which did $1.3 billion, per the New York Times. - And they’re not the only US outlets going Gallic. American chains—such as Popeye’s, KFC, and Domino’s Pizza—make up nearly 30% of France’s fast-food sales. C’est bizarre, non? It’s only a matter of time before the French will be able to snag a glazed raspberry-filled donut without having to push like tourists moving toward the “Mona Lisa”—over the next three months, Krispy Kreme is opening a dozen more stores in France and expanding into supermarkets. Big picture: It’s not just France where US fast-food chains are finding profit and popularity. Starbucks opened one location in Italy in 2018 and, despite meeting initial resistance, has since expanded to 20 [cafes](   GRAB BAG [Key performance indicators](#) [Jon Rahm golfing]Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images Stat: LIV Golf just reeled in the biggest fish in the water hazard. Masters champ Jon Rahm is taking the bait to ditch the PGA Tour for the rival Saudi-backed league because the bait is a deal reportedly [worth more than $300 million]( over at least three years. Poaching a megastar like Rahm is the biggest coup yet for LIV, and it casts an even bigger cloud over the future of pro golf. Earlier this year, the PGA Tour and the Saudi Public Investment Fund agreed to a deal to join forces, seemingly resolving the LIV/PGA Tour feud, but the merger has yet to be finalized, and the deadline is Dec. 31. Quote: “One of the most inane moves we have ever seen.” That’s how Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter described GameStop’s [decision]( announced in an SEC filing Wednesday, to allow its billionaire CEO Ryan Cohen to use the company’s $900 million to buy other companies’ stocks. GameStop said the change would help align its interest with Cohen’s, and the meme stock faithful appeared pleased with the plan to let their king invest. But the analyst called it “alarming,” saying it implies “GameStop management believes it will achieve better returns by buying equities aside from its own.” Read: From unicorns to zombies: Tech startups run out of time and money. ([New York Times]( QUIZ [It’s the most wonderful quiz of the year]( ["Quiz" text surrounded by A, B, C, and D multiple choice answers on a purple and teal gradient background]( The feeling of getting a 5/5 on the Brew’s Weekly News Quiz has been compared to when someone brings peanut butter blossoms to the cookie swap. It’s that satisfying. [Ace the quiz](. NEWS [What else is brewing](#) - [The Biden administration]( proposed a framework to seize the patents for pricey medicines whose development was partially funded with taxpayer dollars in order to increase competition and bring prices down. - [Republicans in Congress]( commenced an investigation into Harvard, Penn, and MIT after the universities’ presidents appeared to waffle on whether they would discipline students who called for a genocide of Jews. And financier Ross Stevens threatened to cancel a $100 million donation to Penn unless its president steps down. - [Elon Musk]( still smarting over Disney’s decision to pull ads from X in the wake of a report that found ads next to pro-Nazi content, tweeted that Disney CEO Bob Iger should be “fired immediately” and that “Walt Disney is turning in his grave over what Bob has done to his company.” - [Amazon]( is ditching Venmo as a payment option. - [Journalists and staff]( at the Washington Post staged a one-day strike to protest layoffs amid stalled contract negotiations. [Other media companies]( are also letting people go, including Condé Nast, where job cuts at The New Yorker included satirist Andy Borowitz. RECS [Friday to-do list] Improve your elocution: These were the [most mispronounced]( words of 2023. Watch: Before you paint your walls Peach Fuzz, check out [a primer]( on how Pantone makes money. Bake: Here are 100 [holiday cookie recipes]( so there’s sure to be one your picky cousin will like in the bunch. Learn: Business school professors explain why Christmas trees are [so expensive](. From seed to IPO: Take your business to the next level with financial solutions from J.P. Morgan. Gain access to vast resources, [industry insights]( and specialized services. [Start growing]( *A message from our sponsor. GAMES [The puzzle section](#) Picdoku: Sudoku + gingerbread house candy? Sounds like a dream combo. [Play it here](. Friday puzzle What number comes next in this sequence? 202, 320, 222, 021, 202, 020, 192, 018, ___ SHARE THE BREW [Share Morning Brew]( with your friends, acquire free Brew swag, and then acquire more friends as a result of your fresh Brew swag. We’re saying we’ll give you free stuff and more friends if you share a link. One link. Your referral count: 0 [Click to Share]( Or copy & paste your referral link to others: [morningbrew.com/daily/r/?kid=4904f90a]( ANSWER 201. When you remove the commas and rearrange the spaces, you’ll find that the sequence is the years in reverse order: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 201(7). [Source]( Word of the Day Today’s Word of the Day is: elocution, meaning “the skill of clear and expressive speech, especially of distinct pronunciation and articulation.” Thanks to smooth talker Madeline from Connecticut for the suggestion. Submit another [Word of the Day here](. ✳︎ A Note From Fidelity Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC, Member NYSE, SIPC, 900 Salem Street, Smithfield, RI 02917 © 2023 FMR LLC. All rights reserved. 1120216.1.0 Written by [Neal Freyman]( [Matty Merritt]( [Molly Liebergall]( [Cassandra Cassidy]( and [Abigail Rubenstein]( Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up [here](. 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