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)

We look in to the recent collapse of Consumer Discretionary allocations among active GEM managers.Consumer Discretionary allocations have dropped down to 3rd in the sector rankings among active EM managers.  Average weights stand at 14.1%, in line with the benchmark with just under half of the 247 managers in our analysis overweight the benchmark MSCI EM Index.  Over the period 10/31/2020 to 09/30/2021, average holding weights dropped by -4.99%, the most of any sector.Analysis of stock positioning changes over the same period reveals the bulk of the decline was caused by one stock, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/alibaba-group-holding-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:787:1" rel="noopener">Alibaba Group (BABA US)</a>, with average holding weights falling by 4.04%, outflows of $2.26bn and 5.2% of funds closing positions.  Other contributors on the negative side were the educators, with <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/new-oriental-education-technology-group" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:32210:1" rel="noopener">New Oriental Education &amp; Technology Group (9901 HK)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/tal-education-group" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:1124:1" rel="noopener">TAL Education (TAL US)</a> losing 18% and 12.6% of investors respectively.  Despite these closures, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/alibaba-group-holding-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:787:1" rel="noopener">Alibaba Group (BABA US)</a> remains by far the most widely held stock in the sector, with 78.5% of funds holding a position at an average weight of 2.54%, though only 35.2% of managers are overweight the benchmark.  Widely held though it is, Alibaba's relevance in the sector has been hugely diminished.  At its peak, average holding weights in <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/alibaba-group-holding-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:787:1" rel="noopener">Alibaba Group (BABA US)</a> across the 247 active funds in our analysis stood at 6.57%.Analysis taken from our EM research, covering 247 active GEM funds with combined AUM of $500bn

We look in to the recent collapse of Consumer Discretionary allocations among active GEM managers.Consumer Discretionary allocations have dropped down to 3rd in the sector rankings among active EM managers.  Average weights stand at 14.1%, in line with the benchmark with just under half of the 247 managers in our analysis overweight the benchmark MSCI EM Index.  Over the period 10/31/2020 to 09/30/2021, average holding weights dropped by -4.99%, the most of any sector.Analysis of stock positioning changes over the same period reveals the bulk of the decline was caused by one stock, Alibaba Group (BABA US), with average holding weights falling by 4.04%, outflows of $2.26bn and 5.2% of funds closing positions.  Other contributors on the negative side were the educators, with New Oriental Education &amp; Technology Group (9901 HK) and TAL Education (TAL US) losing 18% and 12.6% of investors respectively.  Despite these closures, Alibaba Group (BABA US) remains by far the most widely held stock in the sector, with 78.5% of funds holding a position at an average weight of 2.54%, though only 35.2% of managers are overweight the benchmark.  Widely held though it is, Alibaba's relevance in the sector has been hugely diminished.  At its peak, average holding weights in Alibaba Group (BABA US) across the 247 active funds in our analysis stood at 6.57%.Analysis taken from our EM research, covering 247 active GEM funds with combined AUM of $500bn 

EM Consumer Discretionary:  Turbulent Times for Alibaba

HK/China Equity Long-Short

Osbert Tang, CFA

In Sep, various ministries and local governments have announced detailed regulations or opinion-seeking drafts for the implementation of central government's "Double Reduction" Opinions. The areas that covered by these regulations range from the qualifications of tutors to the advance collection of tuition fees. While this should be anticipated, we think there is risk of regulatory overshoot which will put further pressure on the after-school tutoring companies like <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/new-oriental-education-technology-group" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:32210:1" rel="noopener">New Oriental Education &amp; Technology Group (9901 HK)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/tal-education-group" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:1124:1" rel="noopener">TAL Education (TAL US)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/gaotu-techedu-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:28069:1" rel="noopener">Gaotu Techedu (GOTU US)</a>.We can see that the regulations are all targeted on off-campus after-school tutoring but not on the higher and vocational segment. In this regard, we believe <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/china-education-group-holdin" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:18218:1" rel="noopener">China Education Group (839 HK)</a>, which focused on higher education, and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/china-east-education-holdings" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27843:1" rel="noopener">China East Education (667 HK)</a>, which focused on vocational training, are better positioned in this wave of regulatory crackdown.

In Sep, various ministries and local governments have announced detailed regulations or opinion-seeking drafts for the implementation of central government's "Double Reduction" Opinions. The areas that covered by these regulations range from the qualifications of tutors to the advance collection of tuition fees. While this should be anticipated, we think there is risk of regulatory overshoot which will put further pressure on the after-school tutoring companies like New Oriental Education &amp; Technology Group (9901 HK), TAL Education (TAL US) and Gaotu Techedu (GOTU US).We can see that the regulations are all targeted on off-campus after-school tutoring but not on the higher and vocational segment. In this regard, we believe China Education Group (839 HK), which focused on higher education, and China East Education (667 HK), which focused on vocational training, are better positioned in this wave of regulatory crackdown.

China Private Education: More Regulations Rolled Out Backing "Double Reduction"

Equity Bottom-Up

We take the recent newsflow on business development at <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/china-education-group-holdin" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:18218:1" rel="noopener">China Education Group (839 HK)</a> positively. While the market may still skeptical towards the company due to the sector's regulatory worries, CEG is standing in a better position than many of its peers given its focus on the vocational and higher education segment. In our view, the beaten-down performance of CEG's share price is not justified, and it is an interesting time to look at its long-term promising outlook now.   The 58% increase in approval higher education enrollment quota for 2021/2022 academic year, upside from contribution of the newly added Chengdu Jincheng College, support from banks and IFC through provisions of seven-year loan facilities at low pricing, rapid execution of M&amp;A and further potential pipeline acquisitions all lend support to CEG's business prospects amid a turbulent time. Our belief is that at 13.5x PER for FY22, CEG is inexpensively priced relative to growth.

We take the recent newsflow on business development at China Education Group (839 HK) positively. While the market may still skeptical towards the company due to the sector's regulatory worries, CEG is standing in a better position than many of its peers given its focus on the vocational and higher education segment. In our view, the beaten-down performance of CEG's share price is not justified, and it is an interesting time to look at its long-term promising outlook now.   The 58% increase in approval higher education enrollment quota for 2021/2022 academic year, upside from contribution of the newly added Chengdu Jincheng College, support from banks and IFC through provisions of seven-year loan facilities at low pricing, rapid execution of M&amp;A and further potential pipeline acquisitions all lend support to CEG's business prospects amid a turbulent time. Our belief is that at 13.5x PER for FY22, CEG is inexpensively priced relative to growth.

China Education (839 HK): More Flows of Positive Development

Cross Asset Strategy

<div>
In this analysis, we provide a detailed overview of investor positioning among 96 active Asia Ex-Japan funds with combined AUM of $80bn.  Highlights:
</div>
<div>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The big four of China &amp; HK, Taiwan, South Korea and India dominate holdings in Asia Ex-Japan.  The 4 countries combined account for 85.4% of total allocations, though all but India are held underweight versus the MSCI Asia Ex-Japan index.</li>
<li>China &amp; HK's weight in Asia Ex-Japan funds stands at a 4-year low of 42.96% having fallen heavily from the high of 52% back in August 2020.</li>
<li>Allocations in Indian stocks hit a new all-time high last month of 13.54%.  India has been the go-to overweight holding since the election of Narendra Modi in 2014, though managers are much more closely aligned to benchmark today.</li>
<li>
Indonesian allocations are close to their lowest levels on record.  Only 82.8% of the Asia Ex-Japan managers in our analysis have exposure to Indonesia,  with Comgest, Barings and Vontobel closing exposure over the last 6-months.
</li>
<li>Information Technology dominates the holdings picture, being both the largest sector holding and the largest sector overweight by some distance.  Opposing this are net underweights in Health Care (-1.61%), Materials (-1.25%) and Financials (-1.17%). </li>
<li>The key antagonist in China's tech crackdown, Consumer Discretionary weights have fallen from a high of 21.35% in October 2020 to 16.84% today.  In tandem, active managers have moved from an overweight of 2.18% to an underweight of -0.12%.  Confidence has certainly taken a knock.</li>
</ul>
Also analyzed in more detail:  Thailand, Health Care, Indian Financials, South Korean Consumer Staples, China Financials, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/baidu-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:179:1" rel="noopener">Baidu (BIDU US)</a> , <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sea-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:8509:1" rel="noopener">Sea Ltd (SE US)</a> , <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/midea-group-co-ltd-a" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:16185:1" rel="noopener">Midea Group Co Ltd A (000333 CH)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/jd-com-inc-adr" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:446:1" rel="noopener">JD.com Inc (ADR) (JD US).</a>
Analysis taken from our Asia Ex-Japan research, covering 96 active Asia Ex-Japan funds with combined AUM of $80bn. 
</div>


In this analysis, we provide a detailed overview of investor positioning among 96 active Asia Ex-Japan funds with combined AUM of $80bn.  Highlights:



The big four of China &amp; HK, Taiwan, South Korea and India dominate holdings in Asia Ex-Japan.  The 4 countries combined account for 85.4% of total allocations, though all but India are held underweight versus the MSCI Asia Ex-Japan index.
China &amp; HK's weight in Asia Ex-Japan funds stands at a 4-year low of 42.96% having fallen heavily from the high of 52% back in August 2020.
Allocations in Indian stocks hit a new all-time high last month of 13.54%.  India has been the go-to overweight holding since the election of Narendra Modi in 2014, though managers are much more closely aligned to benchmark today.

Indonesian allocations are close to their lowest levels on record.  Only 82.8% of the Asia Ex-Japan managers in our analysis have exposure to Indonesia,  with Comgest, Barings and Vontobel closing exposure over the last 6-months.

Information Technology dominates the holdings picture, being both the largest sector holding and the largest sector overweight by some distance.  Opposing this are net underweights in Health Care (-1.61%), Materials (-1.25%) and Financials (-1.17%). 
The key antagonist in China's tech crackdown, Consumer Discretionary weights have fallen from a high of 21.35% in October 2020 to 16.84% today.  In tandem, active managers have moved from an overweight of 2.18% to an underweight of -0.12%.  Confidence has certainly taken a knock.

Also analyzed in more detail:  Thailand, Health Care, Indian Financials, South Korean Consumer Staples, China Financials, Baidu (BIDU US) , Sea Ltd (SE US) , Midea Group Co Ltd A (000333 CH) and JD.com Inc (ADR) (JD US).
Analysis taken from our Asia Ex-Japan research, covering 96 active Asia Ex-Japan funds with combined AUM of $80bn. 


Asia Ex-Japan Positioning:  India & Tech at Record Highs

Global Emerging Market Equities, Propitious Research

Wium Malan, CFA

Global Emerging Market Equities

Independent, Fundamental Quantitative Research

Propitious Research

Fully independent, fundamental and quantitative equity research, focused on companies in the Telecommunication, Media, Technology, Internet and Healthcare sectors in the Global Emerging Markets. Idea generation focused on Quality stocks, trading below their intrinsic Value, with sound Corporate Governance.

Quantitative Analysis

This insight provides the output, and an overview of our, machine learning-driven, proprietary GEM screening model, which takes a three-pronged approach to find the best medium-term long ideas within the top100 largest stocks in the MSCI GEM Index. The model is based on 1) a typical quantitative multifactor screening model, enhanced by two Artificial Intelligence Technology-based approaches using 2) a Deep Neural Network model, and 3) a Recurrent Neural Network model. This model, which has been developed and tweaked over the past 24 months (and implemented in its current state for &gt;12 months), has a solid real-world performance track record, which I set out in the detail below. Notable new entrants to the top decile this month include a host of energy plays (<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/gazprom-pjsc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:23749:1" rel="noopener">Gazprom PJSC (GAZP RX)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/lukoil-pjsc-2bfe0130-461e-4ff3-af12-93bec12e6325" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27148:1" rel="noopener">LUKOIL (LKOH RM)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/ptt-pcl" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:197:1" rel="noopener">PTT PCL (PTT TB)</a>,  and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/cnooc-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:175:1" rel="noopener">CNOOC Ltd (883 HK)</a>) as well as a return for South African banking group <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/firstrand-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:24971:1" rel="noopener">FirstRand Ltd (FSR SJ)</a>, and a recovery call for Chinese online gaming powerhouse <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/netease" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:29030:1" rel="noopener">NetEase (9999 HK)</a>.<table class="table table-striped">
<colgroup>
<col>
<col>
<col>
<col>
<col>
</colgroup>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 48pt;">rank</td>
<td style="width: 169pt;">Name</td>
<td style="width: 119pt;">Sector</td>
<td style="width: 95pt;">Location</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 48pt;">prev.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">1</td>
<td>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/gazprom-pjsc-6a7231a9-d5e4-4da4-bf21-aa1b9d50fbf8" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27578:1" rel="noopener">Gazprom PJSC (GAZP RM)</a> </td>
<td>Energy</td>
<td>Russian Federation</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">12</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">2</td>
<td>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/lukoil-pjsc-2bfe0130-461e-4ff3-af12-93bec12e6325" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27148:1" rel="noopener">LUKOIL (LKOH RM)</a> </td>
<td>Energy</td>
<td>Russian Federation</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">28</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">3</td>
<td>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/ptt-pcl" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:197:1" rel="noopener">PTT PCL (PTT TB)</a> </td>
<td>Energy</td>
<td>Thailand</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">30</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">4</td>
<td>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/china-resources-land-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:418:1" rel="noopener">China Resources Land (1109 HK)</a> </td>
<td>Real Estate</td>
<td>China</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">5</td>
<td>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/netease" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:29030:1" rel="noopener">NetEase (9999 HK)</a> </td>
<td>Communication</td>
<td>China</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">47</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">6</td>
<td>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/firstrand-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:24971:1" rel="noopener">FirstRand Ltd (FSR SJ)</a> </td>
<td>Financials</td>
<td>South Africa</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">68</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">7</td>
<td>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/cnooc-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:175:1" rel="noopener">CNOOC Ltd (883 HK)</a> </td>
<td>Energy</td>
<td>China</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">25</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">8</td>
<td>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/bank-of-china-ltd-h" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:656:1" rel="noopener">Bank Of China Ltd (H) (3988 HK)</a> </td>
<td>Financials</td>
<td>China</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">51</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">9</td>
<td>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/mmc-norilsk-nickel-pjsc-dcb09449-eb24-4747-b1c9-77fbf35e8398" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:33242:1" rel="noopener">MMC Norilsk Nickel PJSC (GMKN RX)</a> </td>
<td>Materials</td>
<td>Russian Federation</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">22</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">10</td>
<td>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/new-oriental-education-technology-group" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:32210:1" rel="noopener">New Oriental Education &amp; Technology Group (9901 HK)</a> </td>
<td>Consumer Discretionary</td>
<td>China</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">3</td>
</tr>
<tr><td colspan="5" style="text-align: left;">Source: FactSet financial data and analytics, my estimates and calculations, Tensorflow, Keras, Google Colaboratory, pandas</td></tr>
</tbody>
</table>As usual, please feel free to reach out for the full output table, any questions, clarifications needed or suggestions.

This insight provides the output, and an overview of our, machine learning-driven, proprietary GEM screening model, which takes a three-pronged approach to find the best medium-term long ideas within the top100 largest stocks in the MSCI GEM Index. The model is based on 1) a typical quantitative multifactor screening model, enhanced by two Artificial Intelligence Technology-based approaches using 2) a Deep Neural Network model, and 3) a Recurrent Neural Network model. This model, which has been developed and tweaked over the past 24 months (and implemented in its current state for &gt;12 months), has a solid real-world performance track record, which I set out in the detail below. Notable new entrants to the top decile this month include a host of energy plays (Gazprom PJSC (GAZP RX), LUKOIL (LKOH RM), PTT PCL (PTT TB),  and CNOOC Ltd (883 HK)) as well as a return for South African banking group FirstRand Ltd (FSR SJ), and a recovery call for Chinese online gaming powerhouse NetEase (9999 HK).









rank
Name
Sector
Location
prev.


1

Gazprom PJSC (GAZP RM) 
Energy
Russian Federation
12


2

LUKOIL (LKOH RM) 
Energy
Russian Federation
28


3

PTT PCL (PTT TB) 
Energy
Thailand
30


4

China Resources Land (1109 HK) 
Real Estate
China
5


5

NetEase (9999 HK) 
Communication
China
47


6

FirstRand Ltd (FSR SJ) 
Financials
South Africa
68


7

CNOOC Ltd (883 HK) 
Energy
China
25


8

Bank Of China Ltd (H) (3988 HK) 
Financials
China
51


9

MMC Norilsk Nickel PJSC (GMKN RX) 
Materials
Russian Federation
22


10

New Oriental Education &amp; Technology Group (9901 HK) 
Consumer Discretionary
China
3

Source: FactSet financial data and analytics, my estimates and calculations, Tensorflow, Keras, Google Colaboratory, pandas

As usual, please feel free to reach out for the full output table, any questions, clarifications needed or suggestions. 

China

New Oriental Education & Technology Group, Inc. offers educational services. The Company offers foreign language training, test preparation courses for admissions and assessment tests in the United States, the PRC and Commonwealth countries, primary and secondary school education, and other services. New Oriental Education & Technology Group also operates software development.

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New Oriental Education & Techn (9901 HK)

EM Consumer Discretionary: Turbulent Times for Alibaba

We look in to the recent collapse of Consumer Discretionary allocations among active GEM managers, and find that Alibaba is the driving force...

Steven Holden

China Private Education: More Regulations Rolled Out Backing "Double Reduction"

More detailed regulations on after-school tutoring have been rolled out by various ministries and local governments in Sep. The higher education...

Osbert Tang, CFA

China Education (839 HK): More Flows of Positive Development

Good enrollment quota growth, confidence from banking community and IFC and rapid execution of M&As are driving FY22 outlook for CEG, and this...

Osbert Tang, CFA

Asia Ex-Japan Positioning: India & Tech at Record Highs

In this analysis, we provide a detailed overview of investor positioning among 96 active Asia Ex-Japan funds with combined AUM of $80bn.

Steven Holden

Screening for GEMs: September 2021

This insight provides an overview of our, machine learning-driven, proprietary GEM screening model, based on a Multifactor model, a Deep Neural...

Wium Malan, CFA

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