<body><p>STORY: McDonald's was among the companies on Thursday that said higher gas prices linked to the Iran war were disproportionately hurting low‑income consumers, as the burger chain warned of a weak start to its second quarter.</p><p>"The lower end seems to be really struggling at this point," Buchanan said. "And this earnings season really has highlighted that. From Whirlpool to McDonald's, we've seen some of these names and corporations really communicate [that] in a very direct way."</p><p>"The tipping point is an inflection in labor," Buchanan continued. "If we have a labor blip where jobs aren't as plentiful... we really feel like there's a lot of stress that could emanate throughout our marketplace" that could pressure U.S. stock prices.</p></body>
