Going into a July meeting of top party officials at China’s Third Plenum, held once every five years, first-quarter hopes of a 2024 recovery in China’s economy had given way to macro uncertainty, as strength in manufacturing and exports served for many to highlight just how weak domestic sentiment and consumption remain. In this article, Dr. Phillip Wool, Global Head of Research of Rayliant Global Advisors, digs into such challenges and potential paths forward for Beijing, including our thoughts on a Third Plenum meeting that didn’t yield any policy bombshells, but still offers clues as to where investors might focus as we enter the second half ready for bargain hunting.

Despite mainland stocks putting up a solid Q1—the CSI 300 Index gained 3.1% for the quarter—and although macro fundamentals appeared as if they might be turning a corner at the start of 2024, bullish sentiment toward China equities had yet to materialize, with many questioning whether a first-quarter rebound would sustain. In the commentary below, Dr. Phillip Wool, Global Head of Research of Rayliant Global Advisors, delves into the details of China’s economy and market action during Q1, discussing how Beijing’s plan to nurture high-quality growth might translate to macro conditions and investors’ portfolios.

Extremely negative sentiment culminating Q4 2023 toward Chinese stocks have brought A shares to exceedingly low valuations for an economy with so much inherent growth potential, that it would appear the upside risks far outweigh the downside risks at this point. Meanwhile we see differentiating features of the bedrock and new economy indices including factors tilting toward bargain stocks and high-quality growth at a reasonable price, along with a concentration in strategic sectors that truly drive China’s real economy. In this article, Dr. Phillip Wool, Global Head of Research of Rayliant Global Advisors reviews the factor performance of the onshore A-shares markets in Q4 2023, and reasons why investors may look back at 2024 as a turning point for China’s equity markets, and outstanding entry point for a vintage well positioned for growth recovery in the new normal.

Surging Treasury yields and increasing anxiety over the Fed’s ‘higher for longer’ policy led global equities to ‘risk-off’ in the third quarter, though the challenge for Chinese stocks in the CSI 300 Index, down -2.9% for the quarter, remained mostly a function of negative sentiment toward China’s property market and skepticism that policymakers were doing enough to put the nation’s economic recovery back on track. Nevertheless, we saw some very positive signs in Q3, with Beijing beginning to implement targeted stimulus that, by quarter end, already appears to be bearing fruit. From a factor perspective, the new economy portfolio’s quality growth exposure is effectively levered to the upside surprises we see as significantly undervalued at this moment, while the bedrock index should continue to benefit from value and quality exposures, allowing us to identify true bargains poised for revaluation. In this article, Dr. Phillip Wool, Global Head of Research of Rayliant Global Advisors, discusses third-quarter performance and outline our expectations for China’s economy and market as 2023 draws to a close.

While global equities generally performed well in Q2 amidst a frenzy around A.I., sentiment toward Chinese stocks remained lacklustre as investor enthusiasm waned. That said there remained bright spots in the market that quietly outperformed - including our multi-factor China Bedrock Economy ETF which delivered YTD USD return of ~12.6% as of Aug 2nd 2023. In this article, Dr. Phillip Wool, Global Head of Research of Rayliant Global Advisors, reviewed the performance of various style factors during the quarter, and discusses why we see China as grossly undervalued going into the second half.

China’s stock market rode a wave of positive sentiment on a policy shift that brought the world’s second-largest economy out of lockdown, pushing the CSI 300 Index up 4.7% for the quarter and leading to even stronger performance for strategies applying intelligent factor tilts within the bedrock economy and new economy. Even so, macro data throughout the quarter charting China’s recovery from strict zero-COVID containment measures led some investors to question the strength and sustainability of the nation’s economic rebound. In this article, Dr. Phillip Wool, Global Head of Research of Rayliant Global Advisors discusses first-quarter performance and considers what the next phase of China’s reopening could mean for investors.

Chinese stocks took a rollercoaster ride in Q4, as the immediate lacklustre reaction to October’s National Congress gave way to a rally on the back of policy support in November. Investors finally cheered Beijing’s abrupt dismantling of its restrictive zero-COVID policies, as the year came to a close. By the end of December, the CSI 300 Index was up 2% on the quarter. Below in this article, Dr. Philip Wool, Managing Director and Head of Investment Solutions of Rayliant Global Advisors, would explore critical developments in the macro picture at the turn of the year, discuss fourth-quarter performance and factor rotation pattern through the period, and also provide our thoughts as to what reopening has in store for Chinese stocks in 2023.

As stocks around the world struggled in Q2 2022, China A shares produced a positive return, with the CSI 300 Index adding +6.2% for the quarter. This muted number nevertheless belies an action-packed three months, as investor sentiment toward mainland shares reached a low in April, with Shanghai and other major cities entering growth-stunting lockdowns amidst a rapid spread of COVID variants, only to recover sharply in May and June, as easing public health restrictions allowed Beijing to start ramping up a massive stimulus program intended to set the nation’s economy up for a strong second half leading into Q4’s National Congress. Here we offer some perspective on factor drivers in China’s market during the second quarter and comment on what might come next for Chinese stocks.