Baidu Approves $5 Billion Share Buyback and Plans First-Ever Dividend in 2026 
Gold and Silver Prices Slide as Dollar Strength and Easing Tensions Weigh on Metals 
TSMC Eyes 3nm Chip Production in Japan with $17 Billion Kumamoto Investment 
Prudential Financial Reports Higher Q4 Profit on Strong Underwriting and Investment Gains 
Rio Tinto Shares Hit Record High After Ending Glencore Merger Talks 
Nasdaq Proposes Fast-Track Rule to Accelerate Index Inclusion for Major New Listings 
Trump Endorses Japan’s Sanae Takaichi Ahead of Crucial Election Amid Market and China Tensions 
Bank of Japan Signals Readiness for Near-Term Rate Hike as Inflation Nears Target 
Sony Q3 Profit Jumps on Gaming and Image Sensors, Full-Year Outlook Raised 
Global PC Makers Eye Chinese Memory Chip Suppliers Amid Ongoing Supply Crunch 
Oil Prices Slide on US-Iran Talks, Dollar Strength and Profit-Taking Pressure 
FDA Targets Hims & Hers Over $49 Weight-Loss Pill, Raising Legal and Safety Concerns 
Alphabet’s Massive AI Spending Surge Signals Confidence in Google’s Growth Engine 
China Extends Gold Buying Streak as Reserves Surge Despite Volatile Prices 
Silver Prices Plunge in Asian Trade as Dollar Strength Triggers Fresh Precious Metals Sell-Off 
Instagram Outage Disrupts Thousands of U.S. Users 
Nike and Adidas are again popular with Chinese consumers after both faced boycotts in March due to the Xinjiang region controversy, according to Citi Research's survey in September.
Citi had conducted a survey of 1,000 Chinese consumers in June when it already showed a gradual recovery in the popularity of western athletic brands.
When asked which athletic brands they considered purchasing next, 81 percent of Chinese consumers surveyed in September indicated they planned to buy Nike, up from 48 percent in the June survey. For Adidas, 49 percent said they planned to buy Adidas, increasing from 31 percent in June.
Chinese brands Peak and Li Ning were down significantly on purchase intent from June to September, with only 7 percent and 4 percent of respondents considering Peak and Li Ning.
Both brands garnered 54 percent in June.
The survey in September suggests the fallout from the Xinjiang cotton controversy continues to wane for western brands, according to Paul Lejuez, Citi’s lead analyst in the athletics’ space.
The labor conditions in Xinjiang’s Western region, home to Muslim Uighurs, became the subject of a diplomatic row between China and the West.
China denied allegations of human rights abuses after the EU, the US, the UK, and Canada imposed sanctions on its officials.
