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As Hong Kong’s authorities suspend plans to legalise basketball betting, Dr. Vera Yuen of HKU Business School weighs in on the rise of prediction markets and the risks they may pose.

As Hong Kong moves to formalise ride-hailing regulations, where should policymakers focus their efforts? Dr Vera Yuen, Lecturer in Economics at HKU Business School, argues in her article published on Ming Pao, that the debate must shift from limiting the number of cars on the road, to maximising the efficiency of the traffic flow.

Dongguan, which has been vigorously developing its IP industry in recent years, recently held an anime expo. How do the IP companies exhibiting there view the industry’s development prospects? The local economy has recorded growth, but employment has deteriorated—when this kind of contradictory, unusual economic phenomenon appears, what does it signify?

In a recent article for Ming Pao, Dr. Vera Wing-han Yuen, shared her insights on the current heated debate over stablecoins.

In the brand new podcast show "Vera's Talk", Dr. Vera Wing-han Yuen, lecturer of Economics at HKU Business School shared her insights on Hong Kong's Economy.

The pressure on Hong Kong’s catering industry is unprecedented: rising rents, wages, and ingredient costs are squeezing profit margins, while increasing labor costs make it difficult to recruit and retain staff. Consumer spending is shifting northwards, and tourist spending has yet to fully recover. The entry of mainland brands has intensified competition. The macroeconomic outlook is uncertain, and consumer preferences are changing, with people becoming more frugal. In an effort to turn things around, some groups have launched promotions at several of their upscale restaurants.

Currently, public housing tenants earning more than HK$60,000 per month can use the Green Form to apply for flats under the Home Ownership Scheme (HOS). The Green Form is reserved for people already living as public housing tenants. On the other hand, people not living in public housing but earning the same income level are barred from applying for the White Form Secondary Market Scheme to purchase HOS flats, as their income exceeds the eligibility limit. Next, although the Housing Department aims to encourage upward mobility through the purchase of HOS or private flats, the threshold for evicting tenants living in public housing is set at a cumulative HK$125,500 for a three-person household’s monthly income. So long as they collectively earn less than HK$125,500 per month and can pay their rent, they can stay and then buy a flat. Dr. Vera Yuen, Lecturer in Economics at HKU Business School, commented, “Those earning HK$20,000 to HK$40,000 per month and renting privately can struggle to pay their rent, exhausting their monthly income. But in public housing, even those earning over HK$100,000 can remain—it’s actually very difficult for the Housing Department to evict these people earning a relatively high income from their public housing flat.”

Immigration figures suggest Super March could be driving a rise in overseas visitors. Between March 1 and Wednesday, 886,356 overseas visitors entered the city, a 13 per cent increase over the 784,676 in the same period last year. However, University of Hong Kong economics lecturer Vera Yuen Wing-han expressed doubts that the Sevens and Art Basel would create the desired multiplier effect on the economy, noting that many of the events had run for years.