McDonald's sales drops for first time since 2003

NEW YORK - McDonald's Corp. says a key sales figure fell in October, marking the first monthly drop in nearly a decade for the world's biggest hamburger chain.

The company, based in Oak Brook, Ill., says global sales at restaurants open at least a year fell 1.8 percent for the month. The last time the figure dropped was in 2003. The figure is a key metric because it strips out the impact of newly opened and closed locations.

The fast-food chain says the figure fell 2.2 percent in both the U.S. and Europe. In the region encompassing Asia, the Middle East and Africa, it dropped 2.4 percent.

After year of outperforming its rivals, McDonald's has seen sales slow recently as the company faces intensifying competition and a persistently weak economy.