Asian Hedge Fund Manager, Long Short Equity, Macro

David Mudd

Cross Asset Strategy

<ul>
<li>The Hong Kong Alpha portfolio gained 9.7% in May, outperforming its benchmark by 10.57%.  The portfolio has outperformed Hong Kong indexes by 57% to 75% since its inception in 10/2024.</li>
<li>The portfolio has a Sharpe ratio of 1.37 since its inception, with a mean excess annualized return of 21% and a beta of 1.2.  </li>
<li>At the end of May, we sold our remaining positions in the mining and materials sectors and added positions in the power, consumer and property sectors.</li>
</ul>


The Hong Kong Alpha portfolio gained 9.7% in May, outperforming its benchmark by 10.57%.  The portfolio has outperformed Hong Kong indexes by 57% to 75% since its inception in 10/2024.
The portfolio has a Sharpe ratio of 1.37 since its inception, with a mean excess annualized return of 21% and a beta of 1.2.  
At the end of May, we sold our remaining positions in the mining and materials sectors and added positions in the power, consumer and property sectors.


<ul>
<li>
The Hong Kong Alpha portfolio posted a -0.5% return for April. Since its inception, the HK Alpha portfolio has outperformed the HK indexes by 38.69% to 60.42%.  </li>
<li>Overall alpha generation remains at 64% of overall returns.  The Sharpe ratio for the portfolio is 1.15, compared with 0.89 for the benchmark.</li>
<li>As the US retreats from its war in Iran, we have repositioned the portfolio by adding exposure to the AI-related tech sector, including platform, agentic, and hardware.</li>
</ul>



The Hong Kong Alpha portfolio posted a -0.5% return for April. Since its inception, the HK Alpha portfolio has outperformed the HK indexes by 38.69% to 60.42%.  
Overall alpha generation remains at 64% of overall returns.  The Sharpe ratio for the portfolio is 1.15, compared with 0.89 for the benchmark.
As the US retreats from its war in Iran, we have repositioned the portfolio by adding exposure to the AI-related tech sector, including platform, agentic, and hardware.


<ul>
<li>The Hong Kong Alpha portfolio's March performance was -11.25%, compared with -7.75% for the benchmark index.  The Hang Seng Index lost 6.92% for the month.</li>
<li>Performance was hurt by its exposure to the oil equipment and fertilizer sectors, which normally benefit from higher energy prices. China imposed price and export restrictions in the energy sector.</li>
<li>At the end of March, we positioned the portfolio to better cope with the difficulties in China's economy and in the global market due to persistently high energy prices.</li>
</ul>


The Hong Kong Alpha portfolio's March performance was -11.25%, compared with -7.75% for the benchmark index.  The Hang Seng Index lost 6.92% for the month.
Performance was hurt by its exposure to the oil equipment and fertilizer sectors, which normally benefit from higher energy prices. China imposed price and export restrictions in the energy sector.
At the end of March, we positioned the portfolio to better cope with the difficulties in China's economy and in the global market due to persistently high energy prices.


HK/China Equity Long-Short

Osbert Tang, CFA

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<ul>
<li>Our "Buy the Worst" strategy made a strong comeback in 2025, outperforming the HSI by 11.1pp YTD, reversing the losses in the last two years.</li>
<li>For 2026, the strategy will hold <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/meituan" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26970:1" rel="noopener">Meituan (3690 HK)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/li-auto-inc-3dbe6187-544f-40dd-b9f9-72fba9c0110e" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:33811:1" rel="noopener">Li Auto (2015 HK)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/byd-electronic-international-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:1927:1" rel="noopener">BYD Electronics (285 HK)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/jd-com-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:29043:1" rel="noopener">JD.com (9618 HK)</a>, and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/china-mengniu-dairy-co" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:354:1" rel="noopener">China Mengniu Dairy (2319 HK)</a>.  </li>
<li>The position in <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/china-mengniu-dairy-co" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:354:1" rel="noopener">China Mengniu Dairy (2319 HK)</a> may be replaced by <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/new-oriental-education-techn" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:32210:1" rel="noopener">New Oriental Education (9901 HK)</a> or <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/zhongsheng-group-holdings" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:10573:1" rel="noopener">Zhongsheng Group (881 HK)</a>, depending on their closing prices on 31 Dec. </li>
</ul>


Our "Buy the Worst" strategy made a strong comeback in 2025, outperforming the HSI by 11.1pp YTD, reversing the losses in the last two years.
For 2026, the strategy will hold Meituan (3690 HK), Li Auto (2015 HK), BYD Electronics (285 HK), JD.com (9618 HK), and China Mengniu Dairy (2319 HK).  
The position in China Mengniu Dairy (2319 HK) may be replaced by New Oriental Education (9901 HK) or Zhongsheng Group (881 HK), depending on their closing prices on 31 Dec. 


"Buy the Worst" HSI Strategy: A Fruitful 2025, Our Picks for 2026

<ul>
<li>The HSI has already recovered to 2.2% above the pre-"reciprocal tariff" level, and the top 10 best-performing constituents have registered an average return of 15.6%.</li>
<li>Despite so, there are still 40 under-performing stocks, with 32 of them remain in the negative zone with an average of 4.8% loss. </li>
<li>Among them, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/zto-express-cayman-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:33488:1" rel="noopener">ZTO Express Cayman (2057 HK)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/budweiser-brewing-co-apac-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:28077:1" rel="noopener">Budweiser Brewing APAC (1876 HK)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/byd-electronic-international-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:1927:1" rel="noopener">BYD Electronics (285 HK)</a>, and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/meituan" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26970:1" rel="noopener">Meituan (3690 HK)</a> look well-positioned to catch up.</li>
</ul>


The HSI has already recovered to 2.2% above the pre-"reciprocal tariff" level, and the top 10 best-performing constituents have registered an average return of 15.6%.
Despite so, there are still 40 under-performing stocks, with 32 of them remain in the negative zone with an average of 4.8% loss. 
Among them, ZTO Express Cayman (2057 HK), Budweiser Brewing APAC (1876 HK), BYD Electronics (285 HK), and Meituan (3690 HK) look well-positioned to catch up.


HK Strategy: What Are Some of the HSI Laggards to Pick Up?

Hong Kong

Mengniu Dairy is a leading Chinese dairy enterprise focused on manufacturing and distributing a wide range of nutritious, healthy, and delicious dairy products. Its product portfolio includes liquid milk, ice cream, milk powder, and cheese. The company is headquartered in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China, and was founded in 1999.

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Mengniu Dairy (2319 HK)

HONG KONG ALPHA PORTFOLIO: (May 2026)

The Hong Kong Alpha portfolio gained 9.7% in May, outperforming its benchmark by 10.57%. The portfolio has outperformed Hong Kong indexes by 57%...

David Mudd

HONG KONG ALPHA PORTFOLIO: (April 2026)

The Hong Kong Alpha portfolio posted a -0.5% return for April. Since its inception, the HK Alpha portfolio has outperformed the HK indexes by...

David Mudd

HONG KONG ALPHA PORTFOLIO: (March 2026)

Guoquan Food announced that management sold a 4.74% stake at a discounted price of $3.8 to boost the liquidity of the shares. We viewed the move...

David Mudd

"Buy the Worst" HSI Strategy: A Fruitful 2025, Our Picks for 2026

The "Buy the Worst" strategy outperformed the HSI by 11.1pp YTD in 2025. For 2026, it will hold Meituan, Li Auto, BYD Electronics, JD.com, and...

Osbert Tang, CFA

HK Strategy: What Are Some of the HSI Laggards to Pick Up?

HSI has rebounded above pre-reciprocal tariff levels, with top stocks up 15.6%. However, 32 stocks remain negative, with ZTO Express, Budweiser...

Osbert Tang, CFA

Price Gauge

52-week Range

Market Cap (USDm)

P/E

Dividend (Yield)

HONG KONG ALPHA PORTFOLIO: (May 2026)

The Hong Kong Alpha portfolio gained 9.7% in May, outperforming its benchmark by 10.57%. The portfolio has outperformed Hong Kong indexes by 57%...

David Mudd

HONG KONG ALPHA PORTFOLIO: (April 2026)

The Hong Kong Alpha portfolio posted a -0.5% return for April. Since its inception, the HK Alpha portfolio has outperformed the HK indexes by...

David Mudd

HONG KONG ALPHA PORTFOLIO: (March 2026)

Guoquan Food announced that management sold a 4.74% stake at a discounted price of $3.8 to boost the liquidity of the shares. We viewed the move...

David Mudd

"Buy the Worst" HSI Strategy: A Fruitful 2025, Our Picks for 2026

​The "Buy the Worst" strategy outperformed the HSI by 11.1pp YTD in 2025. For 2026, it will hold Meituan, Li Auto, BYD Electronics, JD.com, and...

Osbert Tang, CFA

HK Strategy: What Are Some of the HSI Laggards to Pick Up?

​HSI has rebounded above pre-reciprocal tariff levels, with top stocks up 15.6%. However, 32 stocks remain negative, with ZTO Express, Budweiser...

Osbert Tang, CFA

The "Buy the Worst" strategy outperformed the HSI by 11.1pp YTD in 2025. For 2026, it will hold Meituan, Li Auto, BYD Electronics, JD.com, and...

HSI has rebounded above pre-reciprocal tariff levels, with top stocks up 15.6%. However, 32 stocks remain negative, with ZTO Express, Budweiser...