The Fund's name changed from the Matthews Asia Small Companies Fund to the Matthews Emerging Markets Small Companies Fund on April 30 2021.
09/15/2008
Inception Date
14.31%
YTD Return
(as of 06/11/2021)
$29.64
Price
(as of 06/11/2021)
$361.72 million
Fund Assets
(as of 05/31/2021)
Long-term capital appreciation
Under normal circumstances, the Matthews Emerging Markets Small Companies 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 emerging market countries. Emerging market countries generally include every country in the world except the United States, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore and most of the countries in Western Europe. Certain emerging market countries may also be classified as “frontier” market countries, which are a subset of emerging market countries with newer or even less developed economies and markets, such as Sri Lanka and Vietnam. The list of emerging market countries and frontier market countries may change from time to time.
Investing in international and emerging markets may involve additional risks, such as social and political instability, market illiquidity, exchange rate fluctuations, a high level of volatility and limited regulation. Additionally, investing in emerging and frontier securities involves greater risks, as these countries are substantially smaller, less liquid and more volatile than securities markets in more developed markets. 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.
| Inception Date | 09/15/2008 | |
| Fund Assets | $361.72 million (05/31/2021) | |
| Currency | USD | |
| Ticker | MSMLX | |
| Cusip | 577-125-206 | |
| Portfolio Turnover | 111.9% | |
| Benchmark | MSCI Emerging Markets Small Cap Index MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan Small Cap Index | |
| Geographic Focus | Emerging market countries generally include every country in the world except the United States, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore and most of the countries in Western Europe. | |
| Gross Expense Ratio | 1.67% | |
| Net Expense Ratio | 1.40% | |
Effective April 30, 2021, in connection with changes to the Fund’s name and principal investment strategies, the primary benchmark changed from the MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan Small Cap Index to the MSCI Emerging Markets Small Cap Index.
MSCI AC Asia ex Japan Small Cap Index since inception value calculated from 9/15/08.
Source: BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc. All performance is in US$.
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.
MSCI AC Asia ex Japan Small Cap Index since inception value calculated from 9/15/08.
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.
Ratings (as of 03/31/2021)
CATEGORY: Pacific/Asia ex-Japan Stk
Quartile & Rankings (as of 03/31/2021)
CATEGORY: Pacific Ex Japan 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
Vivek Tanneeru is a Portfolio Manager at Matthews Asia and manages the firm’s Asia ESG, Emerging Markets Small Companies and Asia Small Companies Strategies. Prior to joining Matthews Asia in 2011, Vivek was an Investment Manager on the Global Emerging Markets team of Pictet Asset Management in London. While at Pictet, he also worked on the firm’s Global Equities team, managing Japan and Asia ex-Japan markets. Before earning his MBA from the London Business School in 2006, Vivek was a Business Systems Officer at The World Bank and served as a Consultant at Arthur Andersen Business Consulting and Citicorp Infotech Industries. He interned at Generation Investment Management while studying for his MBA Vivek received his Master’s in Finance from the Birla Institute of Technology & Science in India. He is fluent in Hindi and Telugu.
Co-Manager
Portfolio Manager
Robert Harvey is a Portfolio Manager at Matthews Asia and co-manages the firm’s Emerging Markets Small Companies and Asia Small Companies Strategies. Prior to joining Matthews Asia in 2012, he was a Senior Portfolio Manager at PXP Vietnam Asset Management from 2009 to 2012, where he focused on Vietnamese equities. Previously, he was a Portfolio Manager on the Global Emerging Markets team at F&C Asset Management in London from 2003 to 2009. Robert started his investment career in 1994 as an Assistant Equity Portfolio Manager with the Standard Bank of South Africa's asset management division. He received a Bachelor of Commerce in Accountancy and Commercial Law from Rhodes University in South Africa and a Bachelor of Accounting Science in Advanced Management Accounting, Taxation and Auditing at the University of South Africa.
Co-Manager
Portfolio Manager
Jeremy Sutch is a Portfolio Manager at Matthews Asia and co-manages the firm’s Emerging Markets Small Companies and Asia Small Companies Strategies. Prior to joining the firm in 2015, he was Director and Global Head of Emerging Companies at Standard Chartered Bank in Hong Kong from 2012 to 2015, responsible for the fundamental analysis of companies in Asia, with a particular focus on small- and mid-capitalization companies. From 2009 to 2012, he was Managing Director at MJP Capital in Hong Kong, which he co-founded. His prior experience has included managing small-cap equities at Indus Capital Advisors and serving as Head of Hong Kong Research for ABN AMRO Asia Securities. Jeremy earned an M.A. in French and History from the University of Edinburgh.
Source: BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc.
Source: FactSet Research Systems
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.
Not all countries are included in the benchmark index(es).
The Fund defines Small Companies as companies with market capitalization generally between $100 million and $5 billion or the largest company included in the Fund’s primary benchmark. The Portfolio’s market cap exposure breakdown presented is used for comparison purposes and the definition of the capitalization breakdown is from MSCI.
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.
Portfolio Breakdown benchmark reflects the MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan Small Cap Index as of 3/31/21.
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, 2021
As of April 30 2021, Matthews Asia Small Companies Fund name has been changed to the Matthews Emerging Markets Small Companies Fund
For the quarter ending March 31, 2021, the Matthews Asia Small Companies Fund returned 0.35% (Investor Class) and 0.43% (Institutional class) while its benchmark, the MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan Small Cap Index, returned 9.56%.
Market Environment:
As the global economic recovery continued to broaden out, Asia small caps rallied in the quarter, outperforming their large-cap counterparts. India, China and Thailand led equity price gains among small companies in the region as investors sought buying opportunities among more cyclically sensitive industries, amid prospects for a faster-than-expected return to growth. Elsewhere, equity prices in Indonesia and the Philippines dipped slightly as investors feared a slower recovery due to the continued fallout from COVID-19 pandemic that is still not fully under control.
The market saw a very strong intra-quarter rotation from growth-oriented stocks to more value-oriented and economically sensitive stocks globally in February as the U.S. Treasury yields rose. The real yields also rose as the market started to factor in a strong U.S. economic recovery due to Biden administration’s additional fiscal stimulus measures worth US$1.9 trillion and expectations around a future infrastructure spending plan. Against this backdrop, Asian currencies were mixed in the quarter, with the Indian rupee (-0.06%) and the Chinese renminbi (-0.23%) roughly flat with the U.S. dollar. The South Korean won (-4.02%) and Indonesian rupiah (-3.27%) experiencing more notable drops.
Performance Contributors and Detractors:
Overall, our exposure to growth names in China hurt our relative performance during the quarter. Many of the stocks that had done well during the previous year had given up some of those gains including in areas such as technology, health care and solar supply chain. Some of the fast growing consumer staples names also retraced.
Flat glass, a leading solar glass maker in China, detracted from performance during the quarter. As the prices rose sharply late last year and stayed strong, industry players made additional capacity announcements and there was also increased supply of non-solar glass to be used as a substitute of solar glass. We have always expected the pricing to normalize and Flat glass continues to execute well and is rapidly expanding its capacity over the coming quarters. We expect it to continue to benefit from the long-term demand and attractive margin profile in future driven by its scale and operational excellence. Other detractors included consumer staples like Yantai China pet foods and Sichuan Teway food group as investors rotated towards companies with weaker balance sheets and profitability metrics but that could potentially benefit from broader economic recovery.
Turning to contributors, Shriram City Union in India, an Indian non-banking financial company, was a notable contributor with its better than expected credit cost performance, very strong capital ratios and a strong franchise in its niches. Prospects for improved profits led by normalizing credit costs on 2021 after a pandemic struck 2020, and the potential for loan growth pick up as economic activity normalizes have benefitted the company.
SITC International Holdings, an intra-Asia, shipping specialist contributed positively as shipping rates globally went up; and it saw strong demand trend for its key routes connecting North and South East Asia as economic activity rebounded.
Notable Portfolio Changes:
During the quarter we added to Bank Tabungan Negara, an Indonesian mortgage lender. Bank Tabungan is a leader in the lower-income mortgage lending. After a six-year downturn in the Indonesian property market, conditions are looking conducive to a rebound driven by pent up demand, very favorable regulatory changes, lower rates, better affordability and prospects of strong recovery post-COVID. We believe the company is well positioned to benefit from those trends and also from strong recovery in profitability driven by credit cost normalization. We also exited some small positions such as Kangji Medical as we found more attractive investment opportunities elsewhere and consolidated our holdings.
Outlook:
Looking ahead, earnings growth, liquidity and valuations all appear supportive of Asia’s equity markets. We expect strong corporate earnings across Asia in 2021 as the global recovery continues to expand. Across the region we see sufficient liquidity. While we have not seen as much uptake in credit, any pick up in credit issuance should further support economic growth. Across the region, we see a return to normalcy, leading to better economic prospects for businesses. Parts of Asia have progressed from recovery to expansion, while others like India and Indonesia are still getting back to pre-pandemic levels of activity. Some of the economic indicators in India are pointing to a steady improvement but we await confirmation of the trend in stronger credit activity. We believe small companies are poised for attractive growth as economies continue their gradual reopening process.
As of 03/31/2021, the securities mentioned comprised the Matthews Asia Small Companies Fund in the following percentages: Flat Glass Group Co., Ltd. H Shares, 0.9%; Yantai China Pet Foods Co., Ltd. A Shares, 1.3%; Sichuan Teway Food Group Co., Ltd. A Shares, 0.6%; Shriram City Union Finance, Ltd., 4.8%; SITC International Holdings Co., Ltd., 3.1%; PT Bank Tabungan Negara Persero, 1.8%. The Fund held no positions in Kangji Medical. Current and future holdings are subject to change and risk. Investing in small- and mid-size companies is more risky than investing in large companies as they may be more volatile and less liquid than larger companies.
Average Annual Total Returns - MSMLX as of 03/31/2021
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, 2022. Please see the Fund’s prospectus for additional details.
Investing in international and emerging markets may involve additional risks, such as social and political instability, market illiquidity, exchange rate fluctuations, a high level of volatility and limited regulation. Additionally, investing in emerging and frontier securities involves greater risks, as these countries are substantially smaller, less liquid and more volatile than securities markets in more developed markets. 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.