China-focused hedge funds decrease publicity as dangers mount By Reuters

By Summer time Zhen

HONG KONG (Reuters) – A few of Asia’s massive China-focused hedge funds are shopping for extra non-China shares as regulatory scrutiny, coverage uncertainties and a slowing mainland economic system power them to chop publicity to offshore Chinese language belongings.

Beijing’s clampdown on know-how firms, an actual property debt disaster, Sino-U.S. audit tensions and disruptions from zero-COVID insurance policies, have hit sentiment, portfolio managers mentioned, including it was troublesome to see how firms would develop.

“The previous 12 months has been extraordinarily troublesome for funds which are primarily based in Hong Kong and specializing in investing in offshore China shares,” mentioned a Hong Kong-based hedge fund portfolio supervisor, who declined to be recognized as a result of sensitivity of the topic.

“Many have needed to lower publicity to China shares and allocate some positions to the U.S. or Southeast Asia.”

Hedge funds are aggressive customers of leverage and derivatives to generate yields. China-focused funds have historically stored a big portion of portfolios in American Depository Receipts (ADRs) of mainland companies.

HHLR Advisers, an funding administration agency underneath non-public fairness agency Hillhouse Capital Group, had three non-China firms in its high 5 U.S.-listed holdings within the second quarter in contrast with only one within the second quarter of 2021, 13F filings to the U.S. Securities and Trade Fee present.

HHLR is among the largest offshore China managers and identified for its heavy positions in U.S.-listed Chinese language shares. Its three high non-China holdings are buyer relationship administration platform supplier Salesforce (NYSE:), meals supply agency DoorDash and gaming and e-commerce firm Sea. Its high holding, comprising 19% of its portfolio in U.S.-listed shares, is Chinese language drug developer BeiGene (NASDAQ:)

Hong Kong-based Aspex Administration which manages greater than $7 billion and focuses on pan-Asian fairness, backed by Hillhouse Founder Zhang Lei, has additionally switched holdings. 4 out of 5 of Aspex’s high buys amongst U.S.-listed companies within the second quarter had been non-China names, together with DoorDash, semiconductor tools provider Lam Analysis (NASDAQ:), NVidia and Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:).

Its non-China publicity now accounts for about 31% of its high 10 U.S.-listed holdings, a big enhance from about 15% within the first quarter of 2022, or 14% in the identical interval final 12 months, primarily based on Reuters calculations in response to 13F filings.

The China ADR index is down greater than 60% from a peak on Feb. 16 2021, way over Nasdaq’s 17% drop for a similar interval.

ECONOMIC, REGULATORY RISKS

China-focused Tairen Capital reported 4 out of 5 high buys within the second quarter had been non-China names, whereas eight out its high 10 U.S.-listed holdings had been non-Chinese language firms.

Tairen was as soon as amongst high traders in China’s e-commerce platform Pinduoduo (NASDAQ:). Within the second quarter of 2021, the agency’s largest U.S. inventory itemizing place was Pinduoduo with a market worth of over $200 million, however as they shed that inventory over the following two quarters, the fund’s largest place in the latest quarter was Microsoft (NASDAQ:).

Many China-focused funds have been hiring analysts with expertise in U.S. markets.

In a letter to traders in April, reviewed by Reuters, Hong Kong-based Anatole Funding CIO George Yang mentioned the agency would deploy extra capital to the US, the place they’ll discover “alternatives with lengthy length and due to this fact nice beta”. That got here after the fund posted the worst quarterly consequence since they launched in 2016 within the first quarter.

The pattern of accelerating publicity to non-China shares is unlikely to be a short-term pattern to hedge China threat, mentioned a Hong Kong-based fairness gross sales director centered on the know-how, media and telecom sector.

Nevertheless, some traders doubt it is a sustainable solution to hedge dangers significantly for funds that had posted disappointing returns of their residence market.

Damien Tan, managing director at Cambridge Associates believes the non-China publicity won’t symbolize a serious a part of the portfolio, particularly for China-focused managers, as these managers must “reveal how they’ve a aggressive edge to underwrite and analysis these non-China names”.

Pierre Hoebrechts, CIO at Hong Kong-based Arowana Asset Administration who has been investing in China for 12 years, mentioned most China funds had confronted challenges choosing shares of their market of experience previously 18 months, and therefore there have been honest doubts about their capacity to navigate a market the place they’ve little long-term expertise.

He additionally pointed to the substantial distinction in valuations between China and the US in lots of sectors, following the very massive correction the Chinese language market has suffered.

“Buyers would possibly surprise to which extent that market would possibly even have many extra alternatives than the U.S. at this stage.”