In the Media

“Third-quarter numbers will likely disappoint more and underperform the second quarter’s 4.7 per cent year on year growth, piling on Beijing’s woes,” said Chen Zhiwu, chair professor of finance at the University of Hong Kong. “This is why Beijing has been proactively introducing stimulus at the end of the third quarter.

Does a "free lunch" really exist? Some online shopping platforms let consumers disclose if they received products for free or at a discount when writing reviews. Although these reviews for free products are not the majority, they can energize online communities where reviews are limited. The lack of objectivity in free product reviews can trigger self-regulation within online communities, prompting more users to provide fair feedback. Voluntary disclosure policies can effectively boost the number of reviews at a lower cost than hiring experts to write positive reviews.

Recently, the People's Bank of China introduced a series of quantitative easing measures, including lowering the reserve requirement ratio and implementing swap facilities to support the stock market. These actions aim to address challenges in economic growth, prevent deflation, and inject liquidity to stimulate the stock market, countering investors' pessimism. However, despite strong stock market performance, the real economy faces challenges, with industrial profits dropping nearly 17% and consumer confidence declining steadily.

Will generative artificial intelligence (AI) become the next technology bubble? Or is it simply a short-term market adjustment? The rapid development of AI has attracted significant investment, yet many experts are raising alarms about a potential dotcom bubble. Some argue that AI companies are overvalued, with limited actual gains, urging investors to adopt a rational and objective approach to the sector's development.

Are environmental and social (ES) funds really voting in support of their claims? Each year, asset managers vote on various proposals from the companies in their investment portfolio on behalf of fund investors, who expect strong support for ES initiatives from these companies. However, in a recent research conducted by the author, Prof. Roni Michaely, along with Prof. Guillem Calafi-Ordonez, and Prof. Silvina Rubio, a surprising pattern has been identified. These ES funds often support proposals that are expected to pass or fail easily. However, when it comes to close votes—where their decision really matters—they tend to vote against these proposals.

The upcoming US presidential election is poised to be a historic one, with its outcome closely tied to economic performance. Recent events, including the Russia-Ukraine war, soaring inflation, and the US-China tech rivalry, have created a turbulent global landscape. Voters are primarily concerned with economic issues, employment, healthcare, and immigration.

China in 2017 laid out an ambitious plan to turn the Greater Bay Area into a high-tech powerhouse, aiming to rival Silicon Valley and Tokyo Bay. With 2035 set as the target, is the region on track to meet those goals, or are there hurdles slowing progress? Professor Heiwai Tang, the director of Asia Global Institute, discussed the prospects and challenges of the Greater Bay Area amid growing geopolitical rivalry in the region.

The latest "Asia's Top 500 Brands" list was unveiled on the 25th in Hong Kong, with Toyota, State Grid, and Industrial and Commercial Bank ranking in the top three. China has the most entries among the countries. Dr. Sara Kim, a marketing professor at the HKU Business School, stated that Asian brands are having a transformative impact on the global economic landscape.

The gig economy is rapidly growing, raising critical questions for policymakers about balancing workers' rights, business interests, and technological advancement. By 2027, gig workers are expected to make up 51% of the US workforce. Hong Kong faces similar challenges, necessitating improvements in its traditional labour protection system.