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KPop Demon Hunters took over Netflix when it debuted in August. Next, its coming for Halloween. Thats according to Googles annual Frightgeist report, which uses Google Trends search data to predict the years top Halloween costumes across a number of categories. This years report, published on October 9, shows that characters from the hit animated movie musical KPop Demon Hunters have snagged all five of the lists top spots. KPop Demon Hunters centers on Huntr/x, a K-pop superstar trio who double as demon hunters. The membersRumi, Mira, and Zoeymust protect their fans while facing down a rival boy band made up of demons in disguise, led by the singer Jinu. Since the movie premiered on Netflix, its become the streamers most-watched film of all time; secured Netflix’s first-ever No. 1 box office title when it was shown in theaters; had four simultaneous top ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100; and achieved Platinum status with its soundtrack. In short, the film is a cultural phenomenon complete with a bevy of catchy, endlessly replayable songsand its going to be totally unavoidable on Halloween. window.addEventListener("message",function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}}); Which characters made the list? Google Frightgeist found that the top five overall costumes of the year are, in order of popularity: Rumi, Zoey, Mira, Jinu, and Baby Saja (a minor antagonist and rapper in the K-pop group Saja Boys). Derpy the Tiger, a supernatural blue feline from the film, is also eighth on this years list. Fast-fashion brands including Shein and Aliexpress have anticipated the trend with their own versions of KPop Demon Hunters fashion. Seasonal retailer Spirit Halloween is also offering officially licensed costumes of the shows main characters, available in both kid and adult sizesbut it appears to be struggling to keep up with demand. As of this writing, every adult costume is sold out in every size, and kids’ costumes seem to be available exclusively in stores. Spirit Halloween did not immediately respond to Fast Companys request for comment on the costumes popularity. For businesses, theres a lot at stake. According to a September survey from the National Retail Federation (NRF), Halloween spending, which includes stocking up on candy and pumpkins in addition to spending on costumes, is expected to reach a record $13.1 billion this year. Amidst the sea of K-pop costumes that will dominate streets this year, trick-or-treaters can expect to see another familiar face in the crowd. Labubus, the collectible monster plush toys that are known for teetering on the line between ugly and cute, are the top costume search for dogs and the second-hottest costume search for kids.
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E-Commerce
Crypto is here to stayand you can take that to the bank. Citibank, perhaps. On Monday morning, CNBC reported that Citi is looking to launch crypto custody services next year. Biswarup Chatterjee, the global head of partnerships and innovation in the services business at Citi, told CNBC that the company is hoping that in the next few quarters, we can come to market with a credible custody solution that we can offer to our asset managers and other clients. While banks have, traditionally, kept cryptocurrency at arm’s length, primarily concerned about regulatory changes, the Trump administrations embrace of cryptoexemplified by the passage of new laws like the GENIUS Acthas companies like Citi and others changing their tune. The GENIUS Act, signed into law earlier this year, created a federal regulatory system for stablecoins, among other things. Accordingly, banks are looking to launch crypto-related products and services, such as crypto or digital asset custody services, which, similar to a typical checking or savings account, would enable the bank to hold assets for clients. Notably, leaders from other banks, such as JPMorgan Chase, have said that they will not offer such services, though they will conduct crypto transactions. U.S. Bank, on the other hand, is offering custody services as of last month, though it originally launched the service in 2021 and put it on hold. PNC Bank is also offering custody and trading services through a partnership with Coinbase. In addition to custody services, Citi and others are also looking to launch their own stablecoins, or at least get in on the burgeoning action within the stablecoin subset of the larger crypto space. Stablecoins are digital assets that are pegged to another assetsuch as the U.S. dollar or a commoditythat helps it maintain a relatively stable value. Last week, Citi Ventures announced an investment in BVNK, a global infrastructure platform for stablecoins, as the company prepares to push into the space. Stablecoins are seeing increased interest in use for settlement of on-chain and crypto asset transactions, said Arvind Purushotham, head of Citi Ventures, in a statement. That announcement, along with the news that Citi is looking to launch custody accounts, makes it clear that crypto is, finally, sliding into the world of mainstream finance.
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E-Commerce
And back up goes Wall Street. U.S. stocks are rallying Monday after President Donald Trump said it will all be fine, just days after he sent the market reeling by threatening much higher tariffs on China. The S&P 500 jumped 1.3% to recover nearly half its drop from Friday, which was its worst since April. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 483 points, or 1.1%, as of 10:45 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.8% higher. Dont worry about China, Trump said on his social media platform Sunday. He also said that Chinas leader, Xi Jinping, doesnt want Depression for his country, and neither do I. The U.S.A. wants to help China, not hurt it!!! It was a sharp turnaround from the anger Trump displayed on Friday, when he accused China of a moral disgrace in dealing with other Nations.” He pointed to an extremely hostile letter from China describing curbs to exports of rare earths, which are materials used in the manufacturing of everything from personal electronics to jet engines. Trump said at the time that he may place an additional 100% tax on imports from China starting on Nov. 1. For its part, China urged the United States to resolve differences through negotiations instead of threats. We do not want a tariff war but we are not afraid of one,” the Commerce Ministry said in a statement posted online. Hours later, Trump posted his less confrontational talk about China on Truth Social. The backtrack in anger, which also came before trading began on Wall Street, raised hopes that the worlds two largest economies could find a working relationship that allows global trade to continue. The big moves for the market bracketing the weekend echo its manic swings in April. That’s when Trump shocked investors with his Liberation Day announcement of worldwide tariffs, only to eventually relent on many to give time to negotiate trade deals with other countries. If this time ends up similarly, potentially even after a sharp drop for stock prices, subsiding trade tensions and uncertainty could allow for a rolling recovery to continue into 2026, according to Morgan Stanley strategists led by Michael Wilson. To be sure, the U.S. stock market may have been primed for a drop and was perhaps just looking for a potential trigger. It was already facing criticism that prices had shot too high following a nearly relentless 35% run for the S&P 500 from a low in April. The index, which dictates the movements for many 401(k) accounts, is still near its all-time high set last week. Not only did Trump’s backdown from tariffs help launch stock prices since April, so did expectations for several cuts to interest rates by the Federal Reserve to help the economy. Critics say the market looks too expensive now after prices rose much faster than corporate profits. Worries are particularly high about companies in the artificial-intelligence industry, where pessimists hear echoes of the 2000 dot-com bubble that imploded. Broadcom jumped 10.2% for Monday’s biggest gain in the S&P 500 after announcing a collaboration with OpenAI. The maker of ChatGPT will design custom AI accelerators, and Broadcom will help develop and deploy them. For stocks broadly to look less expensive, either prices need to fall, or companies profits need to rise. Thats raising the stakes for the upcoming earnings reporting season, with big U.S. companies lining up to say how much profit they made during the summer. JPMorgan Chase, Johnson & Johnson, and United Airlines are some of the big names on the calendar this upcoming week. Fastenal tumbled 6.4% after the maker of fasteners and safety supplies reported a profit for the latest quarter that was slightly weaker than analysts expected. At Bank of America, strategist Savita Subramanian is optimistic that companies across the S&P 500 can deliver a bigger overall profit than analysts expected. Besides reports showing a resilient U.S. economy, she also pointed in a BofA Global Research report to how the U.S. dollar’s weakening against other currencies boosts the value of sales made abroad by big U.S. companies. In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed in Europe following losses in Asia, which had their first opportunity to react to Trump’s threat from Friday of additional tariffs on China. Stocks fell 1.5% in Hong Kong and 0.2% in Shanghai. China reported its global exports rose 8.3% in September from a year earlier, the strongest growth in six months and further evidence that its manufacturers are shifting sales from the United States to other markets. Stan Choe, AP business writer AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.
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