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5 Reasons Chinese Equities Have Bottomed

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The COVID-19 Pandemic, a real estate crisis, and a slow economy have led to dramatic underperformance for Chinese equities over the past few years. For example, over the past five years, the iShares China Large-Cap ETF ((FXI - Free Report) ) (an ETF that allows investors to gain exposure to a broad range of large-cap Chinese stocks) has nearly been cut in half, while the S&P 500 is up more than 80% over the same period!

However, despite the poor performance in Chinese equities lately, it’s always worth keeping them on your radar due to their innate ability to trend well once they turn. For example, the KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF ((KWEB - Free Report) ), which tracks the performance of a basket of Chinese internet and e-commerce companies, doubled from April 2020 to February 2021.

Zacks Investment Research
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Below are five reasons Chinese stocks have bottomed including:

FXI Inverse Head & Shoulder Pattern

The FXI ETF is probably the best proxy U.S.-based investors use to measure China. Currently, FXI is breaking out of a textbook inverse head-and-shoulders pattern. Inverse head-and-shoulders patterns are considered bullish and are one of the most reliable indications of a potential trend reversal from a downtrend to an uptrend.

Zacks Investment Research
Image Source: TradingView

Earnings Surprises & Turnarounds

Chinese internet companies like JD. Com ((JD - Free Report) ) and Bilibili ((BILI - Free Report) ) are up more than 20% over the past few sessions after reporting solidearnings. BILI grew EPS 78% year-over-year and its fundamental picture is turning around rapidly.

Zacks Investment Research
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Bad News Priced In?

Historically, equity markets have bottomed out on poor news. Between the potential banning of TikTok, the ailing Chinese real estate market, and sluggish growth, the worst may be behind the Chinese economy. Remember, U.S. equities bottomed after inflation levels hit the highest levels in more than 40 years.

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Image Source: TradingView

Joining the AI Revolution

Last week, the Chinese government announced it is raising $27 billion for a semiconductor fund aimed at driving technologies such as artificial intelligence. AI-related stocks and their exploding earnings have been an integral part of the bull market in the U.S. and has the chance to do the same for China.

Insider Buying

Alibaba ((BABA - Free Report) ) is China’s e-commerce juggernaut. Recently, the company announced a $25 billion increase in share buybacks and over $200 million in insider purchases by CEO and founder Jack Ma and other insiders. The massive purchases show confidence in the Chinese economy and suggest that the lows are likely in for the stock.

Bottom Line

Despite recent challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, a real estate crisis, and a sluggish economy leading to a significant underperformance in Chinese equities over the past few years, there are indications that the Chinese market may be bottoming out.

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