05/31/2011
Inception Date
-21.17%
YTD Return
(as of 07/01/2022)
$12.96
Price
(as of 07/01/2022)
$251.21 million
Fund Assets
(as of 05/31/2022)
Long-term capital appreciation.
Under normal circumstances, the Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its net assets, which include borrowings for investment purposes, in the common and preferred stocks of Small Companies located in China. China includes its administrative and other districts, such as Hong Kong. The Fund seeks to invest in smaller companies capable of sustainable growth based on the fundamental characteristics of those companies, including balance sheet information; number of employees; size and stability of cash flow; management’s depth, adaptability and integrity; product lines; marketing strategies; corporate governance; and financial health. The Fund defines Small Companies as companies with market capitalization no higher than the greater of US $5 billion or the market capitalization of the largest company included in the Fund's primary benchmark, the MSCI China Small Cap Index.
Investments in Asian securities may involve risks such as social and political instability, market illiquidity, exchange-rate fluctuations, a high level of volatility and limited regulation. Investing in emerging markets involves different and greater risks, as these countries are substantially smaller, less liquid and more volatile than securities markets in more developed markets. In addition, investments in a single-country fund, which is considered a non-diversified fund, may be subject to a higher degree of market risk than diversified funds because of concentration in a specific country. The Fund is non-diversified as it concentrates its investments in small sized companies. Investing in small- and mid-size companies is more risky and volatile than investing in large companies as they may be more volatile and less liquid than larger companies.
These and other risks associated with investing in the Fund can be found in the prospectus.
| Inception Date | 05/31/2011 | |
| Fund Assets | $251.21 million (05/31/2022) | |
| Currency | USD | |
| Ticker | MCSMX | |
| Cusip | 577-125-404 | |
| Portfolio Turnover | 119.7% | |
| Benchmark | MSCI China Small Cap Index | |
| Geographic Focus | China - China includes its administrative and other districts, such as Hong Kong | |
| Gross Expense Ratio | 1.48% | |
| Net Expense Ratio | 1.43% | |
| Objective | Long-term capital appreciation. |
| Strategy | Under normal circumstances, the Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its net assets, which include borrowings for investment purposes, in the common and preferred stocks of Small Companies located in China. China includes its administrative and other districts, such as Hong Kong. The Fund seeks to invest in smaller companies capable of sustainable growth based on the fundamental characteristics of those companies, including balance sheet information; number of employees; size and stability of cash flow; management’s depth, adaptability and integrity; product lines; marketing strategies; corporate governance; and financial health. The Fund defines Small Companies as companies with market capitalization no higher than the greater of US $5 billion or the market capitalization of the largest company included in the Fund's primary benchmark, the MSCI China Small Cap Index. |
| Risks |
Investments in Asian securities may involve risks such as social and political instability, market illiquidity, exchange-rate fluctuations, a high level of volatility and limited regulation. Investing in emerging markets involves different and greater risks, as these countries are substantially smaller, less liquid and more volatile than securities markets in more developed markets. In addition, investments in a single-country fund, which is considered a non-diversified fund, may be subject to a higher degree of market risk than diversified funds because of concentration in a specific country. The Fund is non-diversified as it concentrates its investments in small sized companies.
Investing in small- and mid-size companies is more risky and volatile than investing in large companies as they may be more volatile and less liquid than larger companies.
The risks associated with investing in the Fund can be found in the prospectus |
Unusually high returns may not be sustainable.
Source: BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc. All performance is in US$.
Assumes reinvestment of all dividends and/or distributions before taxes. All performance quoted represents past performance and is no guarantee of future results. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate with market conditions so that when redeemed, shares may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the return figures quoted. Returns would have been lower if certain of the Fund’s fees and expenses had not been waived. Performance differences between the Institutional class and the Investor class may arise due to differences in fees charged to each class.
Additional performance, attribution, liquidity, value at risk (VaR), security classification and holdings information is available on request for certain time periods.
Source: BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc. All performance is in US$.
The performance data and graph do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on dividends, capital gain distributions or redemption of fund shares.
(as of 03/31/2022)
CATEGORY: China Region
| OVERALL | 5 stars | out of 95 funds |
| 3 YEAR | 5 stars | out of 95 funds |
| 5 YEAR | 5 stars | out of 73 funds |
| 10 YEAR | 5 stars | out of 53 funds |
(as of 03/31/2022)
CATEGORY: China Region Funds
| 1 YEAR | 2nd | 40 out of 107 funds |
| 3 YEAR | 1st | 5 out of 83 funds |
| 5 YEAR | 1st | 2 out of 65 funds |
| 10 YEAR | 1st | 1 out of 46 funds |
| SINCE INCEPTION | 1st | 2 out of 46 funds |
Ratings agency calculation methodology
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. High ratings and rankings does not assure favorable performance.
The Overall Morningstar® Rating for a fund is derived from a weighted-average of the performance figures associated with its three-, five- and (if applicable) ten-year ratings.
Morningstar RatingTM for funds, or "star rating", is calculated for managed products (including mutual funds, variable annuity and variable life subaccounts, exchange-traded funds, closed-end funds, and separate accounts) with at least a three-year history. Exchange-traded funds and open-ended mutual funds are considered a single population for comparative purposes. It is calculated based on a Morningstar Risk-Adjusted Return measure that accounts for variation in a managed product's monthly excess performance, placing more emphasis on downward variations and rewarding consistent performance. The Morningstar Rating does not include any adjustment for sales loads. The top 10% of products in each product category receive 5 stars, the next 22.5% receive 4 stars, the next 35% receive 3 stars, the next 22.5% receive 2 stars, and the bottom 10% receive 1 star. The Overall Morningstar Rating for a managed product is derived from a weighted average of the performance figures associated with its three-, five-, and 10-year (if applicable) Morningstar Rating metrics. The weights are: 100% three-year rating for 36-59 months of total returns, 60% five-year rating/40% three-year rating for 60-119 months of total returns, and 50% 10-year rating/30% five-year rating/20% three-year rating for 120 or more months of total returns. While the 10-year overall star rating formula seems to give the most weight to the 10-year period, the most recent three-year period actually has the greatest impact because it is included in all three rating periods.
Lipper Analytical Services, Inc., rankings are based on total return, including reinvestment of dividends and capital gains for the stated periods. Funds are assigned a rank within a universe of funds similar in investment objective as determined by Lipper. For the absolute rankings shown the lower the number rank, the better the Fund performed compared to other funds in the classification group. Lipper also calculates a quartile ranking which divides the peer group into quartiles to identify funds of similar quality. Funds in the 1st or 2nd quartile had outperformed the average fund in the peer group while funds in the 3rd or 4th quartile had underperformed.
Lead Manager
Portfolio Manager
Andrew Mattock is a Portfolio Manager at Matthews Asia and manages the firm’s China and China Small Companies Strategies and co-manages the firm’s Pacific Tiger Strategy. Prior to joining the firm in 2015, he was a Fund Manager at Henderson Global Investors for 15 years, first in London and then in Singapore, managing Asia Pacific equities. Andrew holds a Bachelor of Business majoring in Accounting from ACU. He began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers and qualified as a Chartered Accountant.
Lead Manager
Portfolio Manager
Winnie Chwang is a Portfolio Manager at Matthews Asia and manages the firm’s China Small Strategy and co-manages the China and Pacific Tiger Strategies. She joined the firm in 2004 and has built her investment career at the firm. Winnie earned an MBA from the Haas School of Business and received her B.A. in Economics with a minor in Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley. She is fluent in Mandarin and conversational in Cantonese.
Sources: Factset Research Systems, Inc.
Fund Risk Metrics are reflective of Investor share class.
Sources: Zephyr StyleADVISOR
Top 10 holdings may combine more than one security from the same issuer and related depositary receipts.
Source: BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc.
Sector data based on MSCI’s revised Global Industry Classification Standards. For more details, visit www.msci.com.
The Portfolio’s market cap exposure breakdown presented is used for comparison purposes and the definition of the capitalization breakdown is from MSCI.
The Fund defines Small Companies as companies with market capitalization no higher than the greater of US$5 billion or the market capitalization of the largest company included in the Fund's primary benchmark, the MSCI China Small Cap Index.
Source: FactSet Research Systems.
Percentage values in data are rounded to the nearest tenth of one percent, so the values may not sum to 100% due to rounding. Percentage values may be derived from different data sources and may not be consistent with other Fund literature.
Visit our Glossary of Terms page for definitions and additional information.
The Markit iBoxx Asian Local Bond Index tracks the total return performance of a bond portfolio consisting of local-currency denominated, high quality and liquid bonds in Asia ex-Japan. The Markit iBoxx Asian Local Bond Index includes bonds from the following countries: China (on- and offshore markets), Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.
The J.P. Morgan Asia Credit Index (JACI) tracks the total return performance of the Asia fixed-rate dollar bond market. JACI is a market cap-weighted index comprising sovereign, quasi-sovereign and corporate bonds and is partitioned by country, sector and credit rating. JACI includes bonds from the following countries: China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand.
The MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan Index is a free float–adjusted market capitalization–weighted index of the stock markets of China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.
The MSCI All Country Asia Pacific Index is a free float–adjusted market capitalization–weighted index of the stock markets of Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.
The MSCI China Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted index of Chinese equities that includes H shares listed on the Hong Kong exchange, B shares listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges, Hong Kong-listed securities known as Red chips (issued by entities owned by national or local governments in China) and P Chips (issued by companies controlled by individuals in China and deriving substantial revenues in China) and foreign listings (e.g. ADRs).
The MSCI China All Shares Index captures large and mid-cap representation across China A shares, B shares, H shares, Red chips (issued by entities owned by national or local governments in China), P chips (issued by companies controlled by individuals in China and deriving substantial revenues in China), and foreign listings (e.g. ADRs). The index aims to reflect the opportunity set of China share classes listed in Hong Kong,Shanghai, Shenzhen and outside of China.
The MSCI Emerging Markets (EM) Asia Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index of the stock markets of China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted index of the stock markets of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and United Arab Emirates.
The MSCI Emerging Markets Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted index of the stock markets of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and United Arab Emirates.
The MSCI Emerging Markets Small Cap Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization weighted small cap index of the stock markets of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Hungry, India, Indonesia, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan Thailand, Turkey and United Arab Emirates.
The S&P Bombay Stock Exchange 100 (S&P BSE 100) Index is a free float–adjusted market capitalization–weighted index of 100 stocks listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange.
The MSCI Japan Index is a free float–adjusted market capitalization–weighted index of Japanese equities listed in Japan.
The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) is a market capitalization–weighted index of all common stocks listed on the Korea Stock Exchange.
The MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan Small Cap Index is a free float–adjusted market capitalization–weighted small cap index of the stock markets of China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.
The MSCI China Small Cap Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted small cap index of the Chinese equity securities markets, including H shares listed on the Hong Kong exchange, B shares listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges,Hong Kong-listed securities known as Red Chips (issued by entities owned by national or local governments in China) and P Chips (issued by companies controlled by individuals in China and deriving substantial revenues in China), and foreign listings (e.g., ADRs).
The information contained herein has been derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate at the time of compilation, but no representation or warranty (express or implied) is made as to the accuracy or completeness of any of this information. Neither the funds nor the Investment Advisor accept any liability for losses either direct or consequential caused by the use of this information.
The views and opinions in the commentary were as of the report date, subject to change and may not reflect current views. They are not guarantees of performance or investment results and should not be taken as investment advice. Investment decisions reflect a variety of factors, and the managers reserve the right to change their views about individual stocks, sectors, and the markets at any time. As a result, the views expressed should not be relied upon as a forecast of the Fund's future investment intent. It should not be assumed that any investment will be profitable or will equal the performance of any securities or any sectors mentioned herein. The information does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any securities mentioned.
Commentary
Period ended March 31, 2022
For the quarter ending March 31, 2022, the Matthews China Small Companies Fund returned -19.95% (Investor Class) and -19.86% (Institutional Class), while its benchmark, the MSCI China Cap Index, returned -16.33% over the same period.
Market Environment:
The first quarter of the year was broadly negative and choppy for emerging and Asian equity markets for the third consecutive quarter. Chinese equities were weak led down by the confluence of COVID-19 case spikes resulting in policy-enforced lockdowns in tier one cities, ADR delisting pricing pressures and investor worries that Russia-like sanctions could be implemented upon select Chinese companies. Although macro data in January and February contained upside surprises, the Chinese government’s zero-COVID policy continued to weigh heavily on certain sectors.
The Chinese government announced during the quarter that they favor a 2022 GDP growth rate of “around 5.5%.” In our opinion, this was an important “stake in the ground” announcement. However, the worsening COVID-19 lockdown environment in China may increasingly make it difficult for China to reach these goals. We continue to envision a battle between temporary lockdowns and stimulus to unfold. Regardless, we think the government will largely succeed in supporting the Chinese economy and that corporate earnings will remain some of the highest in 2022-23.
Performance Contributors and Detractors:
The portfolio’s overweight to A shares detracted from performance in the first quarter. The A-share markets experienced pull back on weak consumer sentiment given the Chinese government’s zero-COVID policy, and a general property market weakness. In addition, our A-shares holdings are in the growthier part of the A-share markets such as information technology and industrials. These sectors have performed well over 2020 and 2021, and growth sectors, which have become expensive, are undergoing a healthy correction. However, longer term, these are still secularly growing areas in our view. They are also very aligned with the China’s intent to become more self-reliant in areas such as semiconductors and automation.
From a sector perspective, materials and industrials detracted the most from relative performance. The industrials holding’ underperformance was led by battery equipment manufacturer Zhejiang Hangke Technology and building material testing agency China Testing & Certification International Group. Materials sector underperformance was led by fiber glass and wind turbine manufacturer Sinoma Science & Technology and building materials manufacturer Keshun Waterproof Technologies. Common thread among these holdings is that they are all A-shares and are either in renewables sector where there has been profit taking or building materials which is linked to property weakness.
On the other hand, allocation and stock section within utilities and the portfolio’s underweight in consumer discretionary and communications services contributed to relative performance. Among individual holdings, China Overseas Property, a property management company affiliated to large state-owned enterprise (SOE) developer China Overseas Land and Development, contributed to performance. SOE developers have stronger balance sheets we believe they will benefit from the ability to buy attractively priced assets as the consolidation of the real estate continues. We also believe property market will likely recover this year given the already very weak conditions and more monetary easing that is happening, including the lowering of mortgage rates, and the faster approvals of mortgages, etc.
Notable Portfolio Changes:
Over the quarter, we made a few changes as part of our efforts to position the portfolio for exposure to the most innovatively growing parts of China driven by domestic demand. We initiated a new position in frozen food manufacturer Anjoy Food. The company has a strong business-to-business (B2B) and a growing business-to-consumer (B2C) lines of business. Anjoy continues to roll out new product categories that include that of frozen convenience meals, but its stock suffered a sizable correction given market conditions. We took the opportunity to add to this name given longer-term growth opportunity of convenience foods in both the B2B and B2C markets. We also exited a few holdings including camera module manufacturer Q Tech. The company disappointed in its delivery of margins amid a weak smartphone sales environment.
Outlook:
Looking ahead, we expect that China’s Zero COVID-19 policy will likely linger, and especially over the next quarter, and watching the overhang closely as it puts pressure on consumer sentiment. At the same time, the property market continues to be weak, although there are signs that the government is increasingly in the camp of loosening the very tight conditions of the property market. Given these two pressures, we believe there is more support for monetary easing in the second half of 2022 as China’s key goal is still both economic and political stability.
The larger unknown is how U.S. – China relations will pan out. While we see China becoming more willing to make concessions, we have not quite seen the same level of openness from the U.S. This lack of ability to ascertain U.S. – China politics will be a risk that will unfortunately be hard to manage for. Elsewhere, results remain largely in-line with expectations and continued healthy pace of growth is seen with some signs of margin erosion but managed relatively well. We remain more hopeful of an improvement in sentiment given still resilient earnings growth and an increased likelihood of policy easing ahead.
View the Fund’s Top 10 holdings as of March 31, 2022. Current and future holdings are subject to change and risk.
Average Annual Total Returns - MCSMX as of 03/31/2022
All performance quoted is past performance and is no guarantee of future results. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate with changing market conditions so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the return figures quoted. Returns would have been lower if certain of the Fund's fees and expenses had not been waived. Please see the Fund's most recent month-end performance.
Fees & Expenses
Matthews has contractually agreed to waive fees and reimburse expenses to limit the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses until April 30, 2023. Please see the Fund’s prospectus for additional details.
Investments in Asian securities may involve risks such as social and political instability, market illiquidity, exchange-rate fluctuations, a high level of volatility and limited regulation. Investing in emerging markets involves different and greater risks, as these countries are substantially smaller, less liquid and more volatile than securities markets in more developed markets. In addition, investments in a single-country fund, which is considered a non-diversified fund, may be subject to a higher degree of market risk than diversified funds because of concentration in a specific country. The Fund is non-diversified as it concentrates its investments in small sized companies. Investing in small- and mid-size companies is more risky and volatile than investing in large companies as they may be more volatile and less liquid than larger companies.