TOP

Matthews Asia Innovators Fund
MATFX

Snapshot
  • High-conviction, concentrated equity portfolio of innovative companies in Asia
  • All-cap fundamental approach focused on companies with unique offerings that create or expand markets
  • Capitalizing on the new economy and the rising disposable income in Asia

12/27/1999

Inception Date

39.94%

YTD Return

(as of 07/24/2026)

$23.58

NAV

(as of 07/24/2026)

-0.40

1 Day NAV Change

(as of 07/24/2026)

Objective

Long-term capital appreciation

Strategy

Under normal circumstances, the Matthews Asia Innovators 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 companies located in Asia that Matthews believes are innovators in their products, services, processes, business models, management, use of technology, or approach to creating, expanding or servicing their markets. The Fund seeks to invest in companies capable of sustainable growth based on the fundamental characteristics of those companies, including balance sheet information; number of employees; size and stability of cash flow; management’s depth, adaptability and integrity; product lines; marketing strategies; corporate governance; and financial health.

Risks

Investments in Asian securities may involve risks such as social and political instability, market illiquidity, exchange-rate fluctuations, a high level of volatility and limited regulation. Investing in emerging and frontier markets involves different and greater risks, as these countries are substantially smaller, less liquid and more volatile than securities markets in more developed markets. Sector funds may be subject to a higher degree of market risk than diversified funds because of a concentration in a specific sector. The Fund's value may be affected by changes in the science and technology-related industries.

These and other risks associated with investing in the Fund can be found in the prospectus.

Fund Facts
Inception Date 12/27/1999
Fund Assets $514.46 million (06/30/2026)
Currency USD
Ticker MATFX
Cusip 577-130-883
Benchmark MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan Index
Geographic Focus Asia - Consists of all countries and markets in Asia, including developed, emerging, and frontier countries and markets in the Asian region
Fees & Expenses
Gross Expense Ratio 1.27%

Performance

  • Monthly
  • Quarterly
  • Calendar Year
  • data_graph_selected Created with Sketch.
  • bar_graph_selected Created with Sketch.
As of 06/30/2026
Average Annual Total Returns
Name 1MO 3MO YTD 1YR 3YR 5YR 10YR Since Inception Inception Date
Matthews Asia Innovators Fund - MATFX
12/27/1999
MATFX
1.73% 55.15% 67.30% 92.95% 36.64% 9.17% 16.69% 7.51%
MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan Index
-1.25% 27.78% 26.34% 46.41% 24.90% 7.78% 11.25% 7.48%
As of 06/30/2026
Average Annual Total Returns
Name 1MO 3MO YTD 1YR 3YR 5YR 10YR Since Inception Inception Date
Matthews Asia Innovators Fund - MATFX
12/27/1999
MATFX
1.73% 55.15% 67.30% 92.95% 36.64% 9.17% 16.69% 7.51%
MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan Index
-1.25% 27.78% 26.34% 46.41% 24.90% 7.78% 11.25% 7.48%
For the years ended December 31st
Name 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016
Matthews Asia Innovators Fund - MATFX
MATFX
30.22% 16.47% -1.77% -24.80% -13.10% 86.72% 29.60% -18.62% 52.88% -9.10%
MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan Index (USD)
33.02% 12.51% 6.34% -19.36% -4.46% 25.36% 18.52% -14.12% 42.08% 5.76%

MSCI AC Asia Ex Japan Index since inception value calculated from 12/31/99.

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.

Growth of a Hypothetical $10,000 Investment Since Inception

(as of 06/30/2026)

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

  • OVERALL
  • out of 36 funds
  • 3 YEAR
  • out of 36 funds
  • 5 YEAR
  • out of 35 funds
  • 10 YEAR
  • out of 30 funds

Ratings agency calculation methodology

Portfolio Managers

Tiffany  Hsiao, CFA photo

Portfolio Characteristics

(as of 06/30/2026)
Fund Benchmark
Number of Positions 66 996
Weighted Average Market Cap $213.4 billion $503.6 billion
Active Share 75.3 n.a.
P/E using FY1 estimates 25.0x 13.3x
P/E using FY2 estimates 18.2x 10.7x
Price/Cash Flow 33.4 13.0
Price/Book 7.4 2.6
Return On Equity 21.0 21.5
EPS Growth (3 Yr) 22.4% 27.8%

Sources: Factset Research Systems, Inc.

Risk Metrics (3 Yr Return)

(as of 06/30/2026)
7.35%
Alpha
1.15
Beta
118.82%
Upside Capture
80.03%
Downside Capture
1.34
Sharpe Ratio
1.11
Information Ratio
10.54%
Tracking Error
82.17

Fund Risk Metrics are reflective of Investor share class.

Source: FactSet Research Systems

Top 10 Holdings

(as of 06/30/2026)
Name Sector Country % Net Assets
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Information Technology South Korea 5.5
Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd. Information Technology South Korea 5.4
SK Hynix, Inc. Information Technology South Korea 4.8
United Microelectronics Corp Information Technology Taiwan 4.2
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Information Technology Taiwan 3.8
NAURA Technology Group Co., Ltd. Information Technology China/Hong Kong 2.8
MTAR Technologies, Ltd. Industrials India 2.8
Unimicron Technology Corp. Information Technology Taiwan 2.5
MediaTek, Inc. Information Technology Taiwan 2.5
WNC Corp. Information Technology Taiwan 2.3
TOTAL 36.6

Top 10 holdings may combine more than one security from the same issuer and related depositary receipts.

Source: BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc.

Portfolio Breakdown (%)

(as of 06/30/2026)
  • Sector Allocation
  • Country Allocation
  • Market Cap Exposure
Sector Fund Benchmark Difference
Information Technology 62.3 50.4 11.9
Industrials 17.7 7.6 10.1
Consumer Discretionary 4.5 7.7 -3.2
Health Care 2.4 2.5 -0.1
Communication Services 1.7 5.9 -4.2
Energy 1.6 2.0 -0.4
Materials 0.7 3.0 -2.3
Financials 0.6 16.2 -15.6
Consumer Staples 0.0 1.9 -1.9
Utilities 0.0 1.5 -1.5
Real Estate 0.0 1.3 -1.3
Cash and Other Assets, Less Liabilities 8.6 0.0 8.6

Sector data based on MSCI’s revised Global Industry Classification Standards. For more details, visit www.msci.com.

Country Fund Benchmark Difference
Taiwan 37.5 30.4 7.1
China/Hong Kong 24.7 24.6 0.1
South Korea 20.1 26.4 -6.3
India 7.2 12.4 -5.2
Japan 2.0 0.0 2.0
Singapore 0.0 3.2 -3.2
Thailand 0.0 1.1 -1.1
Malaysia 0.0 1.0 -1.0
Indonesia 0.0 0.5 -0.5
Philippines 0.0 0.3 -0.3
Macau 0.0 0.1 -0.1
Cash and Other Assets, Less Liabilities 8.6 0.0 8.6

Not all countries are included in the benchmark index(es).

Equity market cap of issuer Fund Benchmark Difference
Mega Cap (over $25B) 64.1 77.6 -13.5
Large Cap ($10B-$25B) 8.7 15.8 -7.1
Mid Cap ($3B-$10B) 12.4 6.5 5.9
Small Cap (under $3B) 6.1 0.1 6.0
Unassigned 0.0 0.0 0.0
Cash and Other Assets, Less Liabilities 8.6 0.0 8.6

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.

Distributions

Record Date Ex, Pay and
Reinvest Date
Ordinary
Income
Short Term
Capital Gains
Long Term
Capital Gains
Total Distributions
Per Share
% of NAV Nondividend Distribution (Return of Capital)
12/13/2023 12/14/2023 $0.00018 $0.00000 $0.00000 $0.00018 0.0% N.A.
12/13/2022 12/14/2022 $0.00000 $0.00000 $3.00231 $3.00231 20.4% N.A.
12/14/2021 12/15/2021 $0.00000 $1.10849 $3.22827 $4.33676 18.4% N.A.
12/15/2020 12/16/2020 $0.00000 $0.13545 $0.31069 $0.44614 1.8% N.A.
12/16/2019 12/17/2019 $0.00000 $0.00000 $0.04272 $0.04272 0.3% N.A.

 

There is no guarantee that the Fund will pay or continue to pay distributions. 

Past performance 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.

Commentary

Period ended June 30, 2026

Market Environment

  • Equities in Asia had a strong, albeit, volatile second quarter, amid concerns over the Iran conflict and the sustainability of the global artificial intelligence (AI) CapEx boom. South Korea and Taiwan markets led gains, supported by earnings growth and positive sentiment generated from the vast spending by U.S. hyperscalers on AI components and materials.
  • Korean equities posted a gain of 88% as strong demand for memory chips contributed to tight supply chains and a rapid increase in prices. We navigated increased volatility in the market by focusing on the business models of companies, as well as earnings and valuations. In Taiwan, returns were also supported by chip manufacturers but without the volatility of the Korean market which was exacerbated by leveraged, single-stock exchange traded funds (ETFs).
  • Chinese equities declined as consumer confidence and spending remained weak. AI and technology, power infrastructure and energy generation are thriving parts of the economy but they remain a narrow pocket of China’s equity market.
  • India, a major oil importer, posted gains as easing tensions in the Middle East triggered a decline in energy prices. The market, however, continued to face headwinds, including AI disruptions to its key software and IT sectors.
  • Southeast Asian markets remained peripheral to our approach. Malaysia and Indonesia fell, the latter on concerns over the interventionist policies of the Prabowo government, while Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines posted gains.

Contributors and Detractors

  • For the quarter ended June 30, 2026, the Matthews Asia Innovators Fund returned 55.15%, (Investor Class) and 55.14% (Institutional Class) while its benchmark, the MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan Index, returned 27.78% over the same period.
  • On a country basis, the top three contributors to relative performance were China/Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea due to stock selection. There were no detractors to relative performance on a country basis.
  • On a sector basis, the top three contributors to relative performance were information technology (IT) due to stock selection, financials and consumer discretionary due to an underweight allocation. The single detractor was health care due to stock selection.
  • The largest contributors to absolute performance included Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., a South Korean electronic component company, SK Hynix, a South Korean semiconductor company, and Samsung Electronics, a South Korean semiconductor and consumer electronics maker. The top three detractors included Kingsoft Cloud Holdings Ltd., a Chinese IT company, Alibaba Group, the largest e-commerce platform company in China, and Glotech Industrial Corp., a Taiwanese materials company.

Outlook

  • We believe the outlook for the second half of the year is reasonably robust. Although interest rate cuts appear unlikely in the near term, growth in the U.S. economy may surprise investors on the upside which could be a tailwind for emerging markets.
  • We expect the global reindustrialization theme to continue as developed economies invest in defense and modernize their domestic industries and energy and power infrastructure. We believe this could benefit markets with advanced manufacturing resources such as South Korea.
  • We also see the continuing rollout of AI capabilities and hardware across industries, including manufacturing and services, and view it as a trend that is somewhere in between structural and cyclical.
  • Overall, fundamentals appear strong across Asia and we expect earnings growth to improve over the next few quarters. If political risk in the Middle East subsides this will be an additional positive. While periods of market volatility are likely, any further corrections could present attractive opportunities, offering windows for investors to increase exposure.

View the Fund's Top 10 holdings as of June 30, 2026. Current and future holdings are subject to change and risk.

Average Annual Total Returns - MATFX as of 06/30/2026
1YR 3YR 5YR 10YR Since Inception Inception Date
92.95% 36.64% 9.17% 16.69% 7.51% 12/27/1999

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. For the Fund's most recent month-end performance visit matthewsasia.com

Fees & Expenses
Gross Expense Ratio 1.27%

Investments in Asian securities may involve risks such as social and political instability, market illiquidity, exchange-rate fluctuations, a high level of volatility and limited regulation. Investing in emerging and frontier markets involves different and greater risks, as these countries are substantially smaller, less liquid and more volatile than securities markets in more developed markets. Sector funds may be subject to a higher degree of market risk than diversified funds because of a concentration in a specific sector. The Fund's value may be affected by changes in the science and technology-related industries.

 

Visit our Glossary of Terms page for definitions and additional information.

Index Definitions

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.