【明報專訊】Winter is coming for the Hong Kong economy. In its latest results, HSBC forecasts that there could be "significant charges" in the fourth quarter having to do with commercial banking in Hong Kong, a sign that the economy is in a difficult condition and the worst is yet to come. The city's retail and tourism sectors have taken the brunt of the protracted storm over the extradition bill. The three rounds of relief measures rolled out so far by the Hong Kong government have only served to put small and medium enterprises (SMEs) on life support. To prevent SMEs from collapsing in droves and unemployment from surging, stability must be restored in society and violence must be stopped. Only then can there be a way to recovery in the long run. As the Hong Kong economy plummets, it is highly possible that the city will see negative economic growth for the full year. In order to support the economy and safeguard jobs, we must suit the medicine to the illness. To suggest giving out consumption coupons, effectively a cash handout by the government, is to propose blindly hasty remedies that might not be of any help. In no way will that be a sensible act.