In the last five years, Chinese exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have experienced a remarkable surge in growth, with inflows reaching new highs year after year. According to Morningstar, the annual inflows to China ETFs have nearly quintupled over the past three years, indicating a significant increase in investor interest and participation in the Chinese market.
Morningstar’s analysis reveals that total yearly inflows to Chinese ETFs have seen a substantial increase, rising from 127.2 billion Chinese yuan in 2021 to 387.2 billion yuan in 2022, and further jumping to 604.3 billion yuan in 2023. By the end of last year, the total assets under management (AUM) of ETFs in China had more than doubled from the previous year, reaching 1.82 trillion yuan. The report highlights that between 2018 and 2023, the annual growth rate of ETFs AUM in China averaged an impressive 40%, leading to record-high total AUM figures each year.
While the broader China A-shares market has faced challenges since 2022, certain niche industries have shown promising growth opportunities. The significant influx of investments by institutional investors into broad-based index-tracking ETFs has been a key driver behind the rapid growth of the Chinese ETF market. This trend has made it increasingly difficult for actively managed funds to outperform, thereby boosting the overall AUM of China’s ETF market to 2 trillion yuan in less than three years.
Product Popularity
Equity products have been the primary focus of investors, comprising a dominant 96% of the total 870 ETFs in China by the end of 2023. Chinese equity ETFs have witnessed record-breaking inflows and AUM figures, with annual inflows in 2023 alone exceeding the total inflows recorded between 2019 and 2022. The thriving semiconductor sector has attracted significant assets, particularly in Morningstar’s sector equity tech and communications category, while there were net outflows in the sector equity financial and real estate category.
Market Diversity
Despite the overwhelming popularity of equity ETFs, fixed income ETFs and commodities ETFs have shown slower growth rates in terms of product launches and AUM expansion. Fixed income ETFs represent a mere 4% of the total ETF market in China, while commodities ETFs, mainly gold ETFs, account for less than 2% of the market share. Morningstar points out that the Chinese ETF market is largely concentrated among leading providers such as China Asset Management, E Fund Management, and Huatai-PineBridge, which collectively hold the largest share of AUM in the country.
Overall, the unprecedented growth of Chinese exchange-traded funds reflects a shifting investment landscape in China, driven by increasing demand for passive investment strategies and index-tracking products. As the market continues to evolve and adapt to changing global trends, Chinese ETFs are poised to play an increasingly significant role in the investment portfolios of both institutional and retail investors.
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