America’s long consumer boom begins to falter

“$5 MEAL DEAL!” screams a sign outside a McDonald’s, just off Interstate Highway 49 in north-west Arkansas. 

The message is a new special offer that McDonald’s launched across the US in late June. Consisting of a carton of four Chicken McNuggets, a sack of fries, a cold drink and the option of a double burger or a chicken sandwich, it makes a filling if somewhat oily lunch. 

McDonald’s executives hope it provides something else: a…