McDonald's Says U.S. Sales May Dip in Oct.

McDonald's Corp. CEO says the sales in U.S. locations open at least a year will be negative to flat in October.

CEO Jim Skinner says overall global figures for the month will likely be positive, thanks to stronger performance in other regions of the globe that will offset the U.S. performance.

Sales in locations open at least a year are an important measure of restaurant performance.

Skinner blames the poor U.S. performance on the economy. He also says U.S. sales in stores open at least a year were so strong last October that they'll be difficult to top. Last year, the figure climbed 5.3 percent.

Skinner says the company also is shelving openings for about 100 stores this year. Nearly half of those stores are in China.