This study examined how credit information sharing influenced firms’ investment efficiency, focusing on reforms across a selection of European countries’ public credit registries (PCRs). PCRs are centralised data repositories maintained by the respective country’s central bank that collect and share the credit histories of its borrowers. The study’s primary hypothesis was that credit information sharing enhances investment efficiency by enabling lenders to screen borrowers better and foster better borrower discipline.

Using variations in the timing of the New Rural Pension Scheme (NRPS) across rural Chinese counties, this paper examines its effects on eldercare, child investment, and son preference. Study results suggest that public pension programmes can significantly impact family dynamics, eldercare, and cultural norms around gender preference.

This article explores how manipulative short selling (MSS) can trigger bank runs by inducing panic among creditors, especially when informed trading and coordination frictions are high. By applying the researchers’ theoretical model, they demonstrate that short sale bans can help prevent destabilising withdrawals during crises by suppressing MSS. The findings highlight the importance of targeted regulation to enhance financial stability across banking and short-term funding markets.

In the era of online shopping, the so-called “no discounts for old customers or dogs” policy often leaves loyal consumers feeling helpless. Many e-commerce platforms implement a “one person, one price” strategy, and even tailor prices based on users’ purchasing habits and browsing histories, causing different consumers to pay different prices for the same product. In addition, airline ticket prices fluctuate constantly, with the phenomenon of “the more you search, the more expensive it gets” becoming the norm.

Amid the vicissitudes of global financial markets in recent years, Bitcoin, with its roller-coaster-like price fluctuations, has been keenly pursued by investors seeking high returns. However, in the vast digital ocean, most companies and investors are in search of a safe haven for their investments rather than the excitement of risk-taking.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is fast becoming a core technology for optimizing efficiency and driving innovation, finding wide applications across sectors such as healthcare, business operations, and public safety. However, just like the other side of the same coin, these advancements also present opportunities for criminals. As AI technology continues to grow more sophisticated, it is difficult to guard against hacking, scams, blackmailing involving fabricated videos, and dissemination of disinformation orchestrated by criminal organizations.

In the wake of the Second World War, London underwent a profound transformation from a global trade port to an offshore financial centre. In 1964, the city was one of Europe’s three largest ports, handling up to 61.3 million tonnes of cargo. However, by the 1980s, with the advent of large ocean-going vessels and container technology, its enclosed wharves could no longer adapt to the new shipping demands, both geographically and in terms of facilities. As a result, with its cargo handling volume drastically reduced to 25 million tonnes, London lost its crown as a leading regional port.

In today’s highly competitive business environment, innovative collaboration has become an important way for companies to gain an advantage. In innovation-driven partnerships, large enterprises often collaborate with small technology firms, integrating the latter’s core technologies into their own products to drive product innovation and expand market share. To secure collaboration opportunities, small enterprises also need to demonstrate to potential partners the application potential and market prospects of their technology integration.