Stocks

Uncovering the Potential Reversal of Chinese Equities Highlighted by Zacks Investment Ideas

Published March 13, 2024

The recent feature by Zacks Investment Ideas has placed a spotlight on several key Chinese equities that could be signaling a turnaround for investors. Specific entities covered are the iShares China Large-Cap ETF (FXI), KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF (KWEB), e-commerce giant JD.Com (JD), popular media platform Bilibili (BILI), and the behemoth retailer Alibaba (BABA). Each of these has unique reasons suggesting a potential bottoming out of the Chinese equity market after an extended period of underperformance.

Indicators of a Trend Reversal

The FXI ETF is showing a classic inverse head-and-shoulders pattern, which technical analysts view as a robust bullish signal indicating a possible shift from a bearish to a bullish trend. Similarly, Chinese internet and commerce stocks like JD and Bilibili have recently experienced over 20% gains following impressive earnings reports. Bilibili's earnings per share surged by 78% year-over-year, implying a swift fundamental turnaround.

Economic Factors and Their Impact

History suggests that markets can hit their bottom amid negative newsflows. China's economic picture, tainted by concerns over the real estate market, sluggish growth, and geopolitical tensions, may have factored such negatives into current prices. The U.S. markets have similarly experienced upturns following periods of high inflation, suggesting that potential parallels could be emerging in China.

Technological Advances and Government Support

As China embarks on joining the AI revolution, government efforts such as a $27 billion semiconductor fund position the tech sector for growth. This could mirror the bullish sentiment driven by AI in U.S. markets, providing a hopeful outlook for Chinese tech equities.

Insider Confidence

Confidence in the Chinese economy is further reflected in Alibaba, where significant insider purchases, to the tune of over $200 million, have been made by prominent figures including Jack Ma. The company's $25 billion increase in share buybacks is another strong signal of belief in the market's recovery.

Summing Up the Investment Outlook

The overarching narrative indicates that, despite previous downturns exacerbated by external issues like the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese equities may be at a turning point, informed by technical patterns, earnings surprises, and strong insider confidence. Investors may thus want to keep a keen eye on these developments.

FXI, KWEB, JD, Bilibili, Alibaba