> as evidenced by the recent strong performance of the stock price Any "strong performance" may only be a result of the stock buyback -- which serves to inflat

> as evidenced by the recent strong performance of the stock price Any "strong performance" may only be a result of the stock buyback -- which serves to inflate share prices by creating demand for the stock not by virtue of the value of the business, but by promising to extract further value from the business and give it to stock holders via dividends and buybacks. Quoting the article: >"...its executives can do up to $8.1 billion in buybacks in 2015..." and "...to help finance the plan...[McDonald's would] take on more debt..." As noted in the article, they paid out 134% of net income in 2014 -- so it's probably not the strength of the business that's driving demand.