Digital platforms help lesser-known cultural workers find their audience by reducing consumers’ search costs, allowing products that struggle in traditional markets to enter at lower costs, thereby fostering a more diverse marketplace. However, as traffic becomes increasingly important, operations of digital platforms are becoming more biased. In China’s digital arts and entertainment market, the platform’s promotion and manipulation can dictate a creative work’s success and may even hinder innovation.

Today, in the face of complex environmental, social, and governance challenges, ESG has become a central focus for businesses. In the past, businesses often improved their ESG ratings by following the criteria of various rating agencies. However, with around 600 ESG rating agencies worldwide, each with its own standards, rating inconsistencies are common. This means that even with significant efforts in ESG, companies may still receive varying ratings.

In recent years, the appeal of socially responsible investing (SRI) has grown significantly among investors who are not only seeking financial returns but might also be motivated by a desire to support positive social and environmental outcomes. SRI funds position themselves as instruments of driving ESG change, claiming to invest in companies with strong ESG practices. Some funds further assert that they actively work to improve the ESG behaviors of firms within their portfolios. However, a key question remains: Do these funds genuinely influence corporate behavior, or are they merely curating portfolios of companies that already demonstrate stronger ESG credentials?

Climate change demands regulatory action from governments, yet most countries’ climate efforts are insufficient. A common concern is that firms’ lobbying activities partly hinder more aggressive climate actions, as they seek to influence politicians or policymakers to undermine, delay, or avoid pro-climate regulations or policies. Despite this fact, our understanding of the scope, motivation, and impact of firms’ climate lobbying activities is limited. Leippold et al. (2024) address this gap with a comprehensive analysis, offering insights into the following aspects.

In the highly anticipated US presidential election, regardless of the outcome, the elected candidate will significantly impact the international political and economic landscape. Trump’s foreign economic policy during his first term has already become apparent, with a strong focus on using tariffs as a negotiation tool. If re-elected, he intends to impose tariffs of up to 60% to 100% on Chinese products and 10% to 20% on goods from other countries.

[Financial Times Chinese column] Submarine cables carry approximately 99% of the global intercontinental data flow, making them crucial for the development of digital economy. The Chinese government has emphasized the need to accelerate digital infrastructure development in its “14th Five-Year Plan,” promoting the “Digital Silk Road.”

E-commerce sales in Hong Kong currently represent only 8% of total retail sales, significantly lower than in markets like mainland China, the UK, and South Korea. This suggests substantial growth potential for e-commerce and digital trade in the region. The city should seize future trade trends and focus on digitizing trade by achieving three KPIs: the realization of paperless trade, the development of cross-border e-commerce, and the advancement of digital services trade.

The complexity of financial products has led to widespread recognition of the need to protect financial consumers. Many countries have systems in place that allow consumers to file complaints against financial service providers with regulators. Whereas some jurisdictions keep this information private for internal regulatory purposes, others have begun to disclose it publicly. Proponents of public disclosure argue it educates consumers and helps them make informed decisions. A notable example is the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) initiative to disclose consumer complaints against banks. However, this approach can potentially harm the reputation of financial institutions if the complaints are