NATION

NATION
McDonald's plansnew hamburger recipe
NEW YORK -- McDonald's Corp. is tinkering with its primary product -- the hamburger -- in its effort to stimulate sales.
Beef patties will get a reformulated seasoning mix "to improve the flavor of our meat," and new sandwich buns will be rolled out next spring, a memorandum sent to franchisees disclosed. A copy of the document was obtained by Dow Jones Newswires.
The memo also indicated that despite some misgivings among franchisees as well as on Wall Street, the chain's Dollar Menu will be maintained -- and will get a substantial slice of the company's 2003 advertising budget.
Citigroup will takecharge against earnings
NEW YORK -- Citigroup became the first financial institution to quantify its potential damages from a massive settlement with securities regulators, saying Monday that it will take a charge of $1.5 billion against its fourth-quarter earnings.
The nation's largest financial institution said most of the charge will go toward covering the cost of last week's settlement over allegations of biased stock analysis as well as related lawsuits and fallout from the Enron scandal.
Kmart losses grow
TROY, Mich. -- Discount retailer Kmart Corp., hurt by promotional pricing designed to entice shoppers back into its stores, reported Monday that its net loss for the fiscal quarter ended Oct. 30 swelled to $383 million, from a $249 million deficit in the year-earlier period.
The chain also said holiday-season sales were lackluster, but reaffirmed its expectation to emerge from bankruptcy reorganization by next summer.
From wire reports