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Shopping on Shein and Temu for holiday gifts? You're not the only one
No. 8 Kentucky flying high ahead of Western Kentucky meeting
“Gladiator II” asks the question: Are you not moderately entertained for roughly 60% of this sequel? Truly, this is a movie dependent on managed expectations and a forgiving attitude toward its tendency to overserve. More of a thrash-and-burn schlock epic than the comparatively restrained 2000 “Gladiator,” also directed by Ridley Scott, the new one recycles a fair bit of the old one’s narrative cries for freedom while tossing in some digital sharks for the flooded Colosseum and a bout of deadly sea-battle theatrics. They really did flood the Colosseum in those days, though no historical evidence suggests shark deployment, real or digital. On the other hand (checks notes), “Gladiator II” is fiction. Screenwriter David Scarpa picks things up 16 years after “Gladiator,” which gave us the noble death of the noble warrior Maximus, shortly after slaying the ignoble emperor and returning Rome to the control of the Senate. Our new hero, Lucius (Paul Mescal), has fled Rome for Numidia, on the North African coast. The time is 200 A.D., and for the corrupt, party-time twins running the empire (Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger), that means invasion time. Pedro Pascal takes the role of Acacius, the deeply conflicted general, sick of war and tired of taking orders from a pair of depraved ferrets. The new film winds around the old one this way: Acacius is married to Lucilla (Connie Nielsen, in a welcome return), daughter of the now-deceased emperor Aurelius and the love of the late Maximus’s life. Enslaved and dragged to Rome to gladiate, the widower Lucius vows revenge on the general whose armies killed his wife. But there are things this angry young phenom must learn, about his ancestry and his destiny. It’s the movie’s worst-kept secret, but there’s a reason he keeps seeing footage of Russell Crowe from the first movie in his fever dreams. Battle follows battle, on the field, in the arena, in the nearest river, wherever, and usually with endless splurches of computer-generated blood. “Gladiator II” essentially bumper-cars its way through the mayhem, pausing for long periods of expository scheming about overthrowing the current regime. The prince of all fixers, a wily operative with interests in both managing gladiators and stocking munitions, goes by the name Macrinus. He’s played by Denzel Washington, who at one point makes a full meal out of pronouncing the word “politics” like it’s a poisoned fig. Also, if you want a masterclass in letting your robes do a lot of your acting for you, watch what Washington does here. He’s more fun than the movie but you can’t have everything. The movie tries everything, all right, and twice. Ridley Scott marshals the chaotic action sequences well enough, though he’s undercut by frenetic cutting rhythms, with that now-familiar, slightly sped-up visual acceleration in frequent use. (Claire Simpson and Sam Restivo are the editors.) Mescal acquits himself well in his first big-budget commercial walloper of an assignment, confined though he is to a narrower range of seething resentments than Crowe’s in the first film. I left thinking about two things: the word “politics” as savored/spit out by Washington, and the innate paradox of how Scott, whose best work over the decades has been wonderful, delivers spectacle. The director and his lavishly talented design team built all the rough-hewn sets with actual tangible materials the massive budget allowed. They took care to find the right locations in Morocco and Malta. Yet when combined in post-production with scads of medium-grade digital effects work in crowd scenes and the like, never mind the sharks, the movie’s a somewhat frustrating amalgam. With an uneven script on top of it, the visual texture of “Gladiator II” grows increasingly less enveloping and atmospherically persuasive, not more. But I hung there, for some of the acting, for some of the callbacks, and for the many individual moments, or single shots, that could only have come from Ridley Scott. And in the end, yes, you too may be moderately entertained. “Gladiator II” — 2.5 stars (out of 4) MPA rating: R (for strong bloody violence) Running time: 2:28 How to watch: Premieres in theaters Nov. 21. Michael Phillips is a Tribune critic.HOUSTON (AP) — HOUSTON (AP) — Geospace Technologies Corp. (GEOS) on Thursday reported a loss of $12.9 million in its fiscal fourth quarter. The Houston-based company said it had a loss of $1 per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs and asset impairment costs, came to 36 cents per share. The maker of seismic instruments and equipment posted revenue of $35.4 million in the period. For the year, the company reported a loss of $6.6 million, or 50 cents per share. Revenue was reported as $135.6 million. This story was generated by Automated Insights ( http://automatedinsights.com/ap ) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on GEOS at https://www.zacks.com/ap/GEOS
White House says at least 8 US telecom firms, dozens of nations impacted by China hacking campaignThe average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the U.S. edged closer to 7% this week, climbing to its highest level since July. The rate rose to 6.84% from 6.78% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. That’s still down from a year ago, when the rate averaged 7.29%. Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners seeking to refinance their home loan to a lower rate, also ticked up this week. The average rate rose to 6.02% from 5.99% last week. A year ago, it averaged 6.67%, Freddie Mac said. When mortgage rates increase they can add hundreds of dollars a month in costs for borrowers, reducing homebuyers’ purchasing power at a time when home prices remain near all-time highs, even though U.S. home sales are on track for their worst year since 1995. The average rate on a 30-year mortgage fell to a two-year low of 6.08% in late September but it’s been mostly rising since then, echoing moves in the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing home loans. The yield, which has mostly hovered around 4.4% since last week and was below 3.70% in September, has been rising in recent weeks following mixed reports on inflation and the economy. It also surged after the presidential election, reflecting expectations among investors that President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed economic policies may widen the federal deficit and crank up inflation. Mortgage rates slid to just above 6% in September following the Federal Reserve’s decision to cut its main interest rate for the first time in more than four years. While the central bank doesn’t set mortgage rates, its actions and the trajectory of inflation influence the moves in the 10-year Treasury yield. The central bank’s policy pivot is expected to eventually clear a path for mortgage rates to generally go lower. But that could change if the next administration’s policies send inflation into overdrive again. September's pullback in mortgage rates helped drive a pickup in sales of previously occupied U.S. homes last month. However, the recent climb in rates has put a damper on the housing market in the near term, said Hannah Jones, senior economic research analyst at Realtor.com. “Mortgage rates reached the high-6% range in late October, and have remained elevated since, much to the disappointment of buyers hoping to find some relief in the late-fall housing market,” she said. Forecasting the trajectory of mortgage rates is difficult, given that rates are influenced by many factors, from government spending and the economy, to geopolitical tensions and stock and bond market gyrations. Economists predict that mortgage rates will remain volatile this year, but generally forecast them to hover around 6% in 2025. Alex Veiga, The Associated PressRight-wing commentator Nick Fuentes has been charged with misdemeanor battery after a woman accused him of pepper-spraying her after she showed up at his doorstep. Police arrested Fuentes and released him in late November for the incident. The woman told police he sprayed her and then pushed her onto the concrete outside his Illinois home. A police report said she had no visible injuries but that her eyes were "watery." TRUMP CABINET PICKS: WHO'S BEEN TAPPED TO SERVE IN THE PRESIDENT-ELECT'S ADMINISTRATION Fuentes caused an uproar earlier that month with a post on X that said: "Your body, my choice," referencing the abortion-rights "my body, my choice" slogan. Fuentes told police that since he “posted a political joke online,” he has received death threats and people have appeared at his house unannounced. He also told police he was “in fear for his life." GREATEST COMEBACK? HERE’S HOW TRUMP STACKS UP IN WHITE HOUSE HISTORY He will make his first court appearance on Dec. 19 in the case. Fuentes has a prominent social media following and is known for being highly controversial. He was banned under Twitter's previous ownership before Elon Musk reinstated his account. He posted his mugshot on his X account along with a post that said, "Free me n***a." In 2022, Fuentes had a dinner with Donald Trump that was highly publicized and stirred controversy. Trump suggested he did not mean to dine with Fuentes, but had a dinner with rapper Ye (formerly Kanye West) scheduled and he brought Fuentes. He said he didn't know who Fuentes was. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Democrats used the dinner to smear Trump, saying for any other political party, such an act would be "instantly disqualifying." Fuentes aligned with Trump more closely than Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election but did not endorse him. Before the election, he said he believed, “Without serious changes we are headed for a catastrophic loss."By AAMER MADHANI, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A top White House official on Wednesday said at least eight U.S. telecom firms and dozens of nations have been impacted by a Chinese hacking campaign. Deputy national security adviser Anne Neuberger offered new details about the breadth of the sprawling Chinese hacking campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans. Neuberger divulged the scope of the hack a day after the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued guidance intended to help root out the hackers and prevent similar cyberespionage in the future. White House officials cautioned that a number of telecommunication firms and countries impacted could still grow. The U.S. believes that the hackers were able to gain access to communications of senior U.S. government officials and prominent political figures through the hack, Neuberger said. “We don’t believe any classified communications has been compromised,” Neuberger added during a call with reporters. She added that Biden has been briefed on the findings and that the White House “has made it a priority for the federal government to do everything it can to get to the bottom this.” The Chinese embassy in Washington on Tuesday rejected the accusations that it was responsible for the hack after the U.S. federal authorities issued new guidance. “The U.S. needs to stop its own cyberattacks against other countries and refrain from using cyber security to smear and slander China,” embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said. The embassy did not immediately respond to messages on Wednesday. Associated Press writer David Klepper contributed reporting.
Global Workforce Scheduling Software Market Size, Share and Forecast By Key Players-Kronos Incrporated, Ultimate Software, HotSchedules, Oracle, Nice Systems
Advisors Asset Management Inc. decreased its holdings in Southwest Airlines Co. ( NYSE:LUV – Free Report ) by 18.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,864 shares of the airline’s stock after selling 1,126 shares during the quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $144,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Southwest Airlines in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. CVA Family Office LLC raised its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 179.5% during the second quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 1,034 shares of the airline’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 664 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Southwest Airlines in the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in Southwest Airlines during the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, AM Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 2nd quarter valued at $37,000. 80.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Analyst Ratings Changes Several brokerages have recently weighed in on LUV. Evercore ISI upgraded Southwest Airlines from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $30.00 to $35.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Southwest Airlines from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $28.25 to $31.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $27.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $25.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Southwest Airlines presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $30.25. Insider Activity In other Southwest Airlines news, Director Rakesh Gangwal bought 643,788 shares of Southwest Airlines stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $29.98 per share, for a total transaction of $19,300,764.24. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,606,311 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $108,117,203.78. The trade was a 21.73 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link . Also, major shareholder Elliott Investment Management sold 1,203,920 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.83, for a total transaction of $35,912,933.60. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 59,912,580 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,787,192,261.40. This trade represents a 1.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Southwest Airlines Price Performance NYSE:LUV opened at $32.36 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $30.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $28.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -462.29, a PEG ratio of 7.56 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 1-year low of $23.58 and a 1-year high of $35.18. Southwest Airlines ( NYSE:LUV – Get Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The airline reported $0.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.05 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $6.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.77 billion. Southwest Airlines had a positive return on equity of 4.56% and a negative net margin of 0.06%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.38 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 0.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 26th. Southwest Airlines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -1,028.57%. Southwest Airlines Profile ( Free Report ) Southwest Airlines Co operates as a passenger airline company that provides scheduled air transportation services in the United States and near-international markets. As of December 31, 2023, the company operated a total fleet of 817 Boeing 737 aircraft; and served 121 destinations in 42 states, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, as well as ten near-international countries, including Mexico, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Aruba, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Belize, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and Turks and Caicos. Featured Stories Five stocks we like better than Southwest Airlines Financial Services Stocks Investing The Latest 13F Filings Are In: See Where Big Money Is Flowing How to Buy Cheap Stocks Step by Step 3 Penny Stocks Ready to Break Out in 2025 The Significance of a Trillion-Dollar Market Cap Goes Beyond a Number FMC, Mosaic, Nutrien: Top Agricultural Stocks With Big Potential Receive News & Ratings for Southwest Airlines Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Southwest Airlines and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Germany's president dissolves parliament, sets national election for February 23
CHICAGO (AP) — Two-time NBA scoring champion Joel Embiid returned to the Philadelphia 76ers' starting lineup against the Chicago Bulls on Sunday. After missing his first seven shots and ambling deliberately in his left knee brace in the first quarter, the 2023 MVP went on a tear to propel the Sixers to a 108-100 win over the Chicago Bulls. Embiid connected on eight of his next 10 shots in the second quarter for his first 19 points of the game, which lifted Philadelphia to a 62-50 halftime lead. The Sixers stretched it to 19 before holding on for their fourth win in five games, and Embiid finished with 31. “I just got lucky and started making shots,” Embiid deadpanned when he talked to reporters almost 90 minutes after the game. “We just missed shots and we adjusted and we got them in.” Embiid, a seven-time All-Star, added 12 rebounds in his fifth game this season. The 7-foot center had missed the previous seven games because of knee injuries and a three-game suspension for pushing a sports columnist. Embiid finished slightly above his career average of nearly 27.8 points per game in 33 minutes. The Sixers don't play again until Friday thanks to the NBA Cup, so coach Nick Nurse planned to give his star ample work Sunday with a break and recovery time ahead. “All of a sudden he certainly caught fire there with a little bit of variety,” Nurse said. “I know a lot of it seemed like foul-line jumpers, which it was. He snuck in a roll or two and a couple of post-ups. It gave us a lot of confidence.” The Sixers trailed 33-23 after the first quarter. Behind Embiid and a 16-0 run in the second, they took the lead for good. Chicago got within four points twice in the fourth, but Philadelphia closed it out. “We guarded really well and we rebounded extremely well at both ends,” Nurse said. Tyrese Maxey got his first career triple-double as part of the winning formula and clicked with Embiid. Maxey finished with 25 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds. “It was great, that's who he is,” Maxey said of Embiid. “After he got in the game it's easy, it was easier, man. There was a lot more space out there.” The All-Star trio of Embiid, Maxey and Paul George (12 points) played together for only the second game this season. “Obviously we've got the connection,” Embiid said. "We know when things are not going right, what we need to do. Now it's up to us to make the shots and the plays. “After that first quarter, it just felt like we needed to take more of an ownership as far as getting us back in the game. They're great players.” ___ AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba Matt Carlson, The Associated Press
Canucks visit the Red Wings after shootout winMaryland is suing the company that produces the waterproof material Gore-Tex often used for raincoats and other outdoor gear, alleging its leaders kept using “forever chemicals” long after learning about serious health risks associated with them. The complaint, which was filed last week in federal court, focuses on a cluster of 13 facilities in northeastern Maryland operated by Delaware-based W.L. Gore & Associates. It alleges the company polluted the air and water around its facilities with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances , jeopardizing the health of surrounding communities while raking in profits. The lawsuit adds to other claims filed in recent years, including a class action on behalf of Cecil County residents in 2023 demanding Gore foot the bill for water filtration systems, medical bills and other damages associated with decades of harmful pollution in the largely rural community. “PFAS are linked to cancer, weakened immune systems, and can even harm the ability to bear children,” Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said in a statement. “It is unacceptable for any company to knowingly contaminate our drinking water with these toxins, putting Marylanders at risk of severe health conditions.” Gore spokesperson Donna Leinwand Leger said the company is “surprised by the Maryland Attorney General’s decision to initiate legal action, particularly in light of our proactive and intensive engagement with state regulators over the past two years.” “We have been working with Maryland, employing the most current, reliable science and technology to assess the potential impact of our operations and guide our ongoing, collaborative efforts to protect the environment,” the company said in a statement, noting a Dec. 18 report that contains nearly two years of groundwater testing results. But attorney Philip Federico, who represents plaintiffs in the class action and other lawsuits against Gore, called the company’s efforts “too little, much too late.” In the meantime, he said, residents are continuing to suffer — one of his clients was recently diagnosed with kidney cancer. “It’s typical corporate environmental contamination,” he said. “They’re in no hurry to fix the problem.” The synthetic chemicals are especially harmful because they’re nearly indestructible and can build up in various environments, including the human body. In addition to cancers and immune system problems, exposure to certain levels of PFAS has been linked to increased cholesterol levels, reproductive health issues and developmental delays in children, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Gore leaders failed to warn people living near its Maryland facilities about the potential impacts, hoping to protect their corporate image and avoid liability, according to the state’s lawsuit. The result has been “a toxic legacy for generations to come,” the lawsuit alleges. Since the chemicals are already in the local environment, protecting residents now often means installing complex and expensive water filtration systems. People with private wells have found highly elevated levels of dangerous chemicals in their water, according to the class action lawsuit. The Maryland facilities are located in a rural area just across the border from Delaware, where Gore has become a longtime fixture in the community. The company, which today employs more than 13,000 people, was founded in 1958 after Wilbert Gore left the chemical giant DuPont to start his own business. Its profile rose with the development of Gore-Tex , a lightweight waterproof material created by stretching polytetrafluoroethylene, which is better known by the brand name Teflon that’s used to coat nonstick pans. The membrane within Gore-Tex fabric has billions of pores that are smaller than water droplets, making it especially effective for outdoor gear. The state’s complaint traces Gore’s longstanding relationship with DuPont , arguing that information about the chemicals' dangers was long known within both companies as they sought to keep things quiet and boost profits. It alleges that as early as 1961, DuPont scientists knew the chemical caused adverse liver reactions in rats and dogs. DuPont has faced widespread litigation in recent years. Along with two spinoff companies, it announced a $1.18 billion deal last year to resolve complaints of polluting many U.S. drinking water systems with forever chemicals. The Maryland lawsuit seeks to hold Gore responsible for costs associated with the state’s ongoing investigations and cleanup efforts, among other damages. State oversight has ramped up following litigation from residents alleging their drinking water was contaminated. Until then, the company operated in Cecil County with little scrutiny. Gore announced in 2014 that it had eliminated perfluorooctanoic acid from the raw materials used to create Gore-Tex. But it’s still causing long-term impacts because it persists for so long in the environment, attorneys say. Over the past two years, Gore has hired an environmental consulting firm to conduct testing in the area and provided bottled water and water filtration systems to residents near certain Maryland facilities, according to a webpage describing its efforts. Recent testing of drinking water at residences near certain Gore sites revealed perfluorooctanoic acid levels well above what the EPA considers safe, according to state officials. Attorneys for the state acknowledged Gore’s ongoing efforts to investigate and address the problem but said the company needs to step up and be a better neighbor. “While we appreciate Gore’s limited investigation to ascertain the extent of PFAS contamination around its facilities, much more needs to be done to protect the community and the health of residents,” Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain said in a statement. “We must remove these forever chemicals from our natural resources urgently, and we expect responsible parties to pay for this remediation.”
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By AAMER MADHANI, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A top White House official on Wednesday said at least eight U.S. telecom firms and dozens of nations have been impacted by a Chinese hacking campaign. Deputy national security adviser Anne Neuberger offered new details about the breadth of the sprawling Chinese hacking campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans. Neuberger divulged the scope of the hack a day after the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued guidance intended to help root out the hackers and prevent similar cyberespionage in the future. White House officials cautioned that a number of telecommunication firms and countries impacted could still grow. The U.S. believes that the hackers were able to gain access to communications of senior U.S. government officials and prominent political figures through the hack, Neuberger said. “We don’t believe any classified communications has been compromised,” Neuberger added during a call with reporters. She added that Biden has been briefed on the findings and that the White House “has made it a priority for the federal government to do everything it can to get to the bottom this.” The Chinese embassy in Washington on Tuesday rejected the accusations that it was responsible for the hack after the U.S. federal authorities issued new guidance. “The U.S. needs to stop its own cyberattacks against other countries and refrain from using cyber security to smear and slander China,” embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said. The embassy did not immediately respond to messages on Wednesday. Associated Press writer David Klepper contributed reporting.
Shopping on Temu can feel like playing an arcade game. Instead of using a joystick-controlled claw to grab a toy, visitors to the online marketplace maneuver their computer mouses or cellphone screens to browse colorful gadgets, accessories and trinkets with prices that look too good to refuse. A pop-up spinning wheel offers the chance to win a coupon. Rotating captions warn that a less than $2 camouflage print balaclava and a $1.23 skeleton hand back scratcher are “Almost sold out.” A flame symbol indicates a $9.69 plush cat print hoodie is selling fast. A timed-down selection of discounted items adds to the sense of urgency. Pages from the Shein website, left, and from the Temu site, right. Richard Drew, Associated Press Welcome to the new online world of impulse buying, a place of guilty pleasures where the selection is vast, every day is Cyber Monday, and an instant dopamine hit is always just a click away. People are also reading... By all accounts, we’re living in an accelerating age for consumerism, one that Temu, which is owned by the Chinese e-commerce company PDD Holdings, and Shein, its fierce rival , supercharged with social media savvy and an interminable assortment of cheap goods, most shipped directly from merchants in China based on real-time demand. The business models of the two platforms, coupled with avalanches of digital or influencer advertising, have enabled them to give Western retailers a run for their money this holiday shopping season. A Christmas tree ornament purchased on Temu. Haleluya Hadero, Associated Press Software company Salesforce said it expects roughly one in five online purchases in the U.S., the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada to be made through four online marketplaces based or founded in Asia: Shein, Temu, TikTok Shop — the e-commerce arm of video-sharing platform TikTok — and AliExpress. Analysts with Salesforce said they are expected to pull in roughly $160 billion in global sales outside of China. Most of the sales will go to Temu and Shein, a privately held company which is thought to lead the worldwide fast fashion market in revenue. Lisa Xiaoli Neville, a nonprofit manager who lives in Los Angeles, is sold on Shein. The bedroom of her home is stocked with jeans, shoes, press-on nails and other items from the ultra-fast fashion retailer, all of which she amassed after getting on the platform to buy a $2 pair of earrings she saw in a Facebook ad. Neville, 46, estimates she spends at least $75 a month on products from Shein. A $2 eggshell opener, a portable apple peeler and an apple corer, both costing less than $5, are among the quirky, single-use kitchen tools taking up drawer space. She acknowledges she doesn’t need them because she “doesn’t even cook like that.” Plus, she’s allergic to apples. “I won’t eat apples. It will kill me,” Neville said, laughing. “But I still want the coring thing.” Is it safe to shop on Temu? Here are 5 scams to avoid on the popular online shopping platform Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS Feed | SoundStack | All Of Our Podcasts Shein, now based in Singapore, uses some of the same web design features as Temu’s, such as pop-up coupons and ads, to persuade shoppers to keep clicking, but it appears a bit more restrained in its approach. Shein primarily targets young women through partnerships with social media influencers. Searching the company's name on video platforms turns up creators promoting Shein's Black Friday sales event and displaying the dozens of of trendy clothes and accessories they got for comparatively little money. But the Shein-focused content also includes videos of TikTokers saying they're embarrassed to admit they shopped there and critics lashing out at fans for not taking into account the environmental harms or potential labor abuses associated with products that are churned out and shipped worldwide at a speedy pace. Neville has already picked out holiday gifts for family and friends from the site. Most of the products in her online cart cost under $10, including graphic T-shirts she intends to buy for her son and jeans and loafers for her daughter. All told, she plans to spend about $200 on gifts, significantly less than $500 she used to shell out at other stores in prior years. “The visuals just make you want to spend more money,” she said, referring to the clothes on Shein's site. “They're very cheap and everything is just so cute.” Can AI chatbots make your holiday shopping easier? Unlike Shein, Temu's appeal cuts across age groups and gender. The platform is the world’s second most-visited online shopping site, software company Similarweb reported in September. Customers go there looking for practical items like doormats and silly products like a whiskey flask shaped like a vintage cellphone from the 1990s. Temu advertised Black Friday bargains for some items at upwards of 70% off the recommended retail price. Making a purchase can quickly result in receiving dozens of emails offering free giveaways. The caveat: customers have to buy more products. Despite their rise, Temu and Shein have proven particularly ripe for pushback. Last year, a coalition of unnamed brands and organizations launched a campaign to oppose Shein in Washington. U.S. lawmakers also have raised the possibility that Temu is allowing goods made with forced labor to enter the country. More recently, the Biden administration put forward rules that would crack down on a trade rule known as the de minimis exception, which has allowed a lot of cheap products to come into the U.S. duty-free. President-elect Donald Trump is expected to slap high tariffs on goods from China, a move that would likely raise prices across the retail world. Both Shein and Temu have set up warehouses in the U.S. to speed up delivery times and help them better compete with Amazon, which is trying to erode their price advantage through a new storefront that also ships products directly from China. The right book can inspire the young readers in your life, from picture books to YA novels Small, luxury foods are great as stocking stuffers or other gifts. Ideas for under $50 Game-changing holiday gifts for building fires, printing photos, watching birds and more 2024 Christmas TV Guide: When to watch Rudolph, Charlie Brown and other holiday favorites The business news you need