Asset Allocation & Fund Positioning, Copley Fund Research

Steven Holden

Asset Allocation & Fund Positioning

Copley Fund Research

Copley Fund Research provide research and data on asset allocation among Global and Emerging Market equity funds.  The analysis details absolute and relative positioning across countries, sectors and industries together with highly granular data on single stock and single fund allocations.  The data is updated monthly with time series going back to January 2011.

Global Research - Analysis of 165 prominent Global equity funds, combined AUM $335bn
GEM Research - Analysis of 127 prominent global EM equity funds, combined AUM $250bn

Asset Allocation - Global and GEM Equity

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

Real Estate exposure is close to its lowest levels on record among active Asia Ex-Japan investors.  Average weights have fallen to 3.07% following an aggressive decline that took hold in April 2020 when average holding weights were above 5%.Real Estate is now the 3rd least widely held sector among active Asia Ex-Japan investors, slipping behind Health Care and Materials earlier this year for the first time in a decade.Underweights are widespread, led by the lightly held <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/ck-asset-holdings-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22650:1" rel="noopener">CK Asset Holdings (1113 HK)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/wharf-real-estate-investment" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26031:1" rel="noopener">Wharf Real Estate Investment (1997 HK)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/country-garden-holdings-co" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:5225:1" rel="noopener">Country Garden Holdings Co (2007 HK).</a>  <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/capitaland-investment-ltd-si" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:33774:1" rel="noopener">Capitaland Investment (CLI SP)</a>, a 0.1% weight in the MSCI AAXJ index is held by none of the active strategies in our analysis.Activity over the last 6-months shows a clear rotation out of China &amp; HK and Singapore Real Estate and in to India.  Indian Real Estate ownership metrics all moved higher, with average weights increasing by 0.17%, funds invested by +4.3%, more funds buying than selling and positive fund flows.Analysis taken from our Asia Ex-Japan research, covering 96 active strategies with combined AUM of $85bn

Real Estate exposure is close to its lowest levels on record among active Asia Ex-Japan investors.  Average weights have fallen to 3.07% following an aggressive decline that took hold in April 2020 when average holding weights were above 5%.Real Estate is now the 3rd least widely held sector among active Asia Ex-Japan investors, slipping behind Health Care and Materials earlier this year for the first time in a decade.Underweights are widespread, led by the lightly held CK Asset Holdings (1113 HK), Wharf Real Estate Investment (1997 HK) and Country Garden Holdings Co (2007 HK).  Capitaland Investment (CLI SP), a 0.1% weight in the MSCI AAXJ index is held by none of the active strategies in our analysis.Activity over the last 6-months shows a clear rotation out of China &amp; HK and Singapore Real Estate and in to India.  Indian Real Estate ownership metrics all moved higher, with average weights increasing by 0.17%, funds invested by +4.3%, more funds buying than selling and positive fund flows.Analysis taken from our Asia Ex-Japan research, covering 96 active strategies with combined AUM of $85bn

Asia Ex-Japan Real Estate:  Hitting the Lows.  China to India Rotation

Founder of Antler Capital

Stanley Tsai, CFA

For all the roller coaster rides the sector has taken investors on over the years, the Chinese property developers have been unsettlingly consistent in one regard. The CNY1tn fixed asset investment (FAI) homebuilders coughed up in May continued a two-decades long secular trend that may make or break China's still fragile recovery (Exhibit 1).
The Debt-Fueled Supercycle. The sector has seen its share of excesses and corrections, exemplified by the post-GFC FAI expansion and subsequent retrenchment. Covid might have driven up construction costs, but the enthusiasm of would-be homeowners has shown no signs of abating. Just as the developers are working overtime to deleverage their balance sheets, household debt is piling up and may approach alarming levels over the next five years if mortgage growth doesn't decelerate quickly enough.
The Inventory Drawdown. Behind the headline FAI number is a more nuanced picture of inventory reductions and landbank replenishment. Housing starts slowed in May and dipped below project completions on a 12-month rolling basis. This affords cash-strapped property firms an opportunity to rebuild their cashflows, while deploying cash to projects in hand.
The Insatiable Demand. The 0.5% m/m or 5% y/y rise in home prices last month may appear benign in other settings. In the context of China's already exorbitant base, recent data points are a cause for concern. Among the largest cities across the country, those in the Greater Bay Area stand out as outliers, with valuations skyrocketing in spite of the latest round of lockdowns.
The Aggressive Developers. The increasingly bullish undertones of sell-side notes that have landed on our desks are centered around the inventory drawdown / cashflow rebuild story of the perceived higher-quality names in the space. We are not buyers of that story just yet and our work suggests that many developers have been acquiring land at a more aggressive rate than they had planned at the beginning of the year. Regulators are already keeping a close eye on recent transactions and we think we should too.
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<td style="width: 746px;">Exhibit 1: Monthly Housing FAI | 3M Moving Avg (CNY bn)</td>
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<td style="width: 746px;">
<figure class="editor-figure mceNonEditable"><img src="https://static-prod.smartkarma.com/images/media/000/215/144/original/image_45072834061624549646155.png?1624549646" class="editor-image img-responsive" data-smartkarma-image-id="215144"></figure>
Source: National Bureau of Statistics, Our analysis
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Related Insights
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<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/china-financials-silver-linings-playbook" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:53013" rel="noopener">China Financials: Silver Linings Playbook</a> </li>
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<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/glut-and-famine-we-might-see-snow-in-china-this-summer" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:52840" rel="noopener">Glut and Famine: We Might See Snow in China This Summer</a> </li>
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For all the roller coaster rides the sector has taken investors on over the years, the Chinese property developers have been unsettlingly consistent in one regard. The CNY1tn fixed asset investment (FAI) homebuilders coughed up in May continued a two-decades long secular trend that may make or break China's still fragile recovery (Exhibit 1).
The Debt-Fueled Supercycle. The sector has seen its share of excesses and corrections, exemplified by the post-GFC FAI expansion and subsequent retrenchment. Covid might have driven up construction costs, but the enthusiasm of would-be homeowners has shown no signs of abating. Just as the developers are working overtime to deleverage their balance sheets, household debt is piling up and may approach alarming levels over the next five years if mortgage growth doesn't decelerate quickly enough.
The Inventory Drawdown. Behind the headline FAI number is a more nuanced picture of inventory reductions and landbank replenishment. Housing starts slowed in May and dipped below project completions on a 12-month rolling basis. This affords cash-strapped property firms an opportunity to rebuild their cashflows, while deploying cash to projects in hand.
The Insatiable Demand. The 0.5% m/m or 5% y/y rise in home prices last month may appear benign in other settings. In the context of China's already exorbitant base, recent data points are a cause for concern. Among the largest cities across the country, those in the Greater Bay Area stand out as outliers, with valuations skyrocketing in spite of the latest round of lockdowns.
The Aggressive Developers. The increasingly bullish undertones of sell-side notes that have landed on our desks are centered around the inventory drawdown / cashflow rebuild story of the perceived higher-quality names in the space. We are not buyers of that story just yet and our work suggests that many developers have been acquiring land at a more aggressive rate than they had planned at the beginning of the year. Regulators are already keeping a close eye on recent transactions and we think we should too.



Exhibit 1: Monthly Housing FAI | 3M Moving Avg (CNY bn)




Source: National Bureau of Statistics, Our analysis




Related Insights


China Financials: Silver Linings Playbook 

Glut and Famine: We Might See Snow in China This Summer 

China Macro: Operation Twist | The Deposit Version 

China Macro: Consumers Remain on the Sidelines, as Their Home Equity Grows 

China Macro: PPI Peaks, while CPI Eases Tightening Fears 

China Macro: Exports Disappoint, but It's Still Early in the Game 


China Properties: Like Clockwork, Real Estate Investments Haven't Skipped a Beat

Asia Pac IPO & Placement Research, China biotech, Aequitas Research

Ke Yan, CFA, FRM

Asia Pac IPO & Placement Research, China biotech

IPOs and Placements coverage across Asia Pacific

Aequitas Research

We cover all listing across the Asia Pacific along with follow-up placements. As of Dec 2020, our team had covered 539 IPOs with a hit rate of 73.5% and 685 placements with a hit rate of 66.8%.

We combine fundamental bottom-up views with our proprietary quantitative framework to provide a holistic coverage across new listings and placements. Our coverage includes pre-IPO notes before the deal is launched, follow-up analysis once the deal is live and post-listing trading analysis as well.

Quantitative Analysis

<ul>
<li>We analyze the weekly Hong Kong Connect flows with our data engine for holding position as of April 3rd.</li>
<li>The top stocks by inflows and outflows were tabulated for all market, HSCEI, mid cap and s/mid cap groups.</li>
<li>We highlight flows for Tencent Holdings, Bank Of China, Xiaomi.</li>
</ul>


We analyze the weekly Hong Kong Connect flows with our data engine for holding position as of April 3rd.
The top stocks by inflows and outflows were tabulated for all market, HSCEI, mid cap and s/mid cap groups.
We highlight flows for Tencent Holdings, Bank Of China, Xiaomi.


Hong Kong Connect Flows (Apr 3rd): Tencent, Bank Of China, Xiaomi

<ul>
<li>We analyze the weekly Hong Kong Connect flows with our data engine for holding position as of March 28th.</li>
<li>The top stocks by inflows and outflows were tabulated for all market, HSCEI, mid cap and s/mid cap groups.</li>
<li>We highlight flows for Tencent, Bank Of China, China Mobile, Xiaomi, CNOOC.</li>
</ul>


We analyze the weekly Hong Kong Connect flows with our data engine for holding position as of March 28th.
The top stocks by inflows and outflows were tabulated for all market, HSCEI, mid cap and s/mid cap groups.
We highlight flows for Tencent, Bank Of China, China Mobile, Xiaomi, CNOOC.


Hong Kong Connect Flows (Mar 28th): Tencent, Bank Of China, China Mobile, Xiaomi, CNOOC

<ul>
<li>We analyze the weekly Hong Kong Connect flows with our data engine for holding position as of March 8th.</li>
<li>The top stocks by inflows and outflows were tabulated for all market, HSCEI, mid cap and s/mid cap groups.</li>
<li>We highlight flows for thre stocks, Meituan, China Mobile, and CNOOC.</li>
</ul>


We analyze the weekly Hong Kong Connect flows with our data engine for holding position as of March 8th.
The top stocks by inflows and outflows were tabulated for all market, HSCEI, mid cap and s/mid cap groups.
We highlight flows for thre stocks, Meituan, China Mobile, and CNOOC.


Hong Kong Connect Flows (Mar 8th): Meituan, China Mobile, CNOOC

China

Sunac China Holdings Limited is a real estate development company.

Price Gauge
52-week Range	0.00 - 0.00
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Sunac China Holdings (1918 HK)

Asia Ex-Japan Real Estate: Hitting the Lows. China to India Rotation

Real Estate exposure is close to its lowest levels on record among active Asia Ex-Japan investors. As China Real Estate suffers an exodus, India...

Steven Holden

China Properties: Like Clockwork, Real Estate Investments Haven't Skipped a Beat

Housing FAI in May continued a secular trend that may make or break China's recovery. Inventory drawdowns may afford developers some breathing...

Stanley Tsai, CFA

Hong Kong Connect Flows (Apr 3rd): Tencent, Bank Of China, Xiaomi

We analyzed southbound Hong Kong connect flows in the past week and highlight flows for Tencent Holdings, Bank Of China, Xiaomi.

Ke Yan, CFA, FRM

Hong Kong Connect Flows (Mar 28th): Tencent, Bank Of China, China Mobile, Xiaomi, CNOOC

We analyzed southbound Hong Kong connect flows in the past week and highlight flows for Tencent, Bank Of China, China Mobile, Xiaomi, CNOOC.

Ke Yan, CFA, FRM

Hong Kong Connect Flows (Mar 8th): Meituan, China Mobile, CNOOC

We analyzed southbound Hong Kong connect flows in the past week. We estimate the inflows to be USD1.4bn and highlight flows for Meituan, China...

Ke Yan, CFA, FRM

Price Gauge

52-week Range

Market Cap (USDm)

P/E

Dividend (Yield)