ALB selects 15 firms up-and-coming firms which are drawing attention because of their display of strong competitiveness and strengths; factors which will help them in making significant breaks in the Year of the Horse. ALB选择15家公司向上和未来，因为强大的竞争力和优势的他们显示这是提请注意公司;因素，这将有助于他们在马年作出显著休息。

Luxury car dealers are resorting to offering customers massages, mini-golf and other gimmicks, hoping this will give them an edge in a ferociously competitive Chinese market where brand loyalty is less common than in the West.

Rapid swings in Chinese financial markets in response to ambitious reform plans herald a white-knuckle year for investors, as speculation on the direction and tempo of policy pours gas on an already volatile market. China’s investors face a testing year as reform speculation intensifies, says Pete Sweeney of Reuters

Since China’s market economy started booming some 20 years ago, a nouveau riche class of more than a million has steadily come up. And with the possibility of the first generation of wealthy Chinese eventually retiring in the next decade or so, planning succession and inheritance issues for high net worth individuals in the country will become a growth area for wealth management lawyers. Liu Zhen finds out more

Midshore jurisdictions like Singapore, Hong Kong and Ireland, which incorporate elements of both onshore and offshore jurisdictions, are becoming increasingly popular among investors. Structured products are at risk of being caught by Europe’s AIFMD, which is designed for hedge funds. And Hong Kong’s new trust law is expected to enhance the SAR’s image as an international asset management centre. By Ranajit Dam, with additional reporting by Owen Sanderson of IFR

Despite the bold design, the one-month-old Shanghai Pilot Free-Trade Zone is taking a very cautious approach towards experimenting with financial reforms. And while foreign private equity funds are keeping watch outside, Chinese outbound investments are getting the early bird benefits. By Liu Zhen

The bribery scandal has dented Big Pharma’s sales in China

With the imminent launch of the highly anticipated free-trade zone and the upcoming reforms in financial and other sectors which are expected to reinforce the opening up and internationalisation of the city’s legal services, Shanghai law firms are working harder than ever before to cement their positions in a fiercely competitive environment. Liu Zhen reports

As the downturn in the shipping industry continues, and owners look for new sources of finance, private equity funds have begun entering the industry in a significant way. What started as a trend in New York is now moving to Asia, find Keith Wallis of Reuters and Ranajit Dam

New guidelines on electronic discovery could be issued in Hong Kong in the first quarter of 2014, with a draft expected to be released soon, a lawyer familiar with the matter has said.