Trip.com Group Ltd (NASDAQ:TCOM) shares are trading lower by 3.71% to $41.32 during Tuesday's session. Shares of US-listed Chinese companies are trading lower after China's central bank left its one-year and five-year loan prime rates unchanged at 3.35% and 3.85% respectively.

Why This Matters: The unchanged loan prime rates and the cautious stance of China's central bank suggest broader economic uncertainty.

As a travel and tourism company, Trip.com is highly sensitive to economic conditions. Economic instability or slower growth can lead to reduced consumer spending on travel, directly impacting Trip.com's revenue and profitability.

While Trip.com is not a financial institution, the broader economic environment influenced by interest rates affects consumer behavior.

If banks are less inclined to lend due to shrinking interest margins, this can affect consumer confidence and spending power, leading to lower bookings and revenue for travel companies like Trip.com.

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Is TCOM A Good Stock To Buy?

An investor can make a few decisions when deciding whether a stock is a good buy. In addition to valuation metrics and price action which you can find on Benzinga's quote pages – like Trip.com Group's page for example – there are factors like whether or not a company pays a dividend or buys a large portion of its stock each quarter.

These are known as capital allocation programs. Trip.com Group does not pay a dividend, but obviously has a few ways it can return value to shareholders. Feel free to search Benzinga's dividend calendar for the next company that is due to pay a dividend and determine what kind of yield you can earn for holding a share of the company.

For example, if you're looking to earn an annualized return of 11.54%, you'll need to buy a share of Voya Infrastructure by the Sep. 3, 2024. Once done, you can expect to receive a nominal payout of $0.1 on Sep. 16, 2024.

Buyback programs are obviously different and highly variable. A company can approve a buyback program and purchase shares as it sees fit over the course of time in which the buyback was authorized. Looking through the latest news on Trip.com Group will often yield whether or not the company has approved a buyback program recently. Buyback programs usually serve as a support for share prices, serving as a backstop for demand.

According to data from Benzinga Pro, TCOM has a 52-week high of $58.00 and a 52-week low of $31.55.