Life and death for firms: Can Hong Kong's plummeting economy rebound?

The Hong Kong government has announced relief packages this year, but for most struggling businesses the best cure would be an end to the protests

The Hong Kong government will release data Thursday underscoring what retailers, hoteliers and residents know all too well -- that the economy has slipped into recession amid nearly five months of increasingly violent skirmishes.

Third-quarter gross domestic product figures are expected to show a 0.6% retreat from the previous three months, after a 0.4% contraction in the second quarter. Two consecutive periods of negative growth would mean Hong Kong has fallen into a technical recession, the first since the global financial crisis a decade ago.

The economic debate now is focused on how long the downturn will last, if recent glimmers of