The 9th HKU Quarterly Forum on Chinese Economy, hosted by HKU Business School’s Institute of China Economy (ICE), in partnership with the Hong Kong Alumni Association of China’s Central University of Finance and Economics, was held on 29 January. This was the first Forum of the series in 2026, where renowned experts and scholars discussed breakthroughs in China’s macroeconomy, key issues emerging from the development of artificial intelligence, trade and finance matters such as the renminbi exchange rate, and others. Held at HKU iCube in Central, Hong Kong, the Forum attracted an audience of more than 200 industry leaders, academic experts, alumni, and students oniste, and more than 10,000 who attended online.

When startups scale quickly, founders often make hurried hiring decisions that unintentionally disadvantage women, according to new study from the Stockholm School of Economics in Sweden. The study shows how the pressures of rapid growth increase the likelihood that founders rely on mental shortcuts and make biased decisions. 

A study in Risk Sciences examines whether alternative “big data” and the LASSO variable-selection method can strengthen health risk assessment in critical illness insurance. Using insurer application and claims records alongside smartphone-derived signals and public medical-claim information, the researchers report clear gains in out-of-sample predictive performance beyond traditional underwriting inputs. The paper also explores which categories of data may be most informative for underwriting.