According to four people familiar with the matter, the Hong Kong government is pushing to speed up implementation of a proposal to keep financial markets open during the typhoon, and has instructed a working group to submit a workable plan within a few weeks. People familiar with the matter said that Financial Secretary Chan Mao-po's office recently set a schedule for this working group, which consists of exchanges, regulators, and local financial institutions, and has lacked significant progress over the past few months. The issue became even more urgent after last month's typhoon and torrential rain caused the market to be closed for two consecutive Fridays. (Bloomberg)