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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

34.48%

YTD Return

(as of 04/24/2026)

$22.66

NAV

(as of 04/24/2026)

+0.28

1 Day NAV Change

(as of 04/24/2026)

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 $341.14 million (03/31/2026)
Currency USD
Ticker MATFX
Cusip 577-130-883
Benchmark MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan Index
Geographic Focus Asia ex Japan - Consists of all countries and markets in Asia excluding Japan, but including all other developed, emerging, and frontier countries and markets in the Asian region
Fees & Expenses
Gross Expense Ratio 1.29%

Performance

  • Monthly
  • Quarterly
  • Calendar Year
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As of 03/31/2026
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
-8.79% 7.83% 7.83% 37.76% 16.17% 1.12% 11.87% 5.80%
MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan Index
-13.70% -1.13% -1.13% 29.09% 14.66% 3.36% 8.61% 6.55%
As of 03/31/2026
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
-8.79% 7.83% 7.83% 37.76% 16.17% 1.12% 11.87% 5.80%
MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan Index
-13.70% -1.13% -1.13% 29.09% 14.66% 3.36% 8.61% 6.55%
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 03/31/2026)

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 39 funds
  • 3 YEAR
  • out of 39 funds
  • 5 YEAR
  • out of 38 funds
  • 10 YEAR
  • out of 32 funds

Ratings agency calculation methodology

Portfolio Managers

Tiffany  Hsiao, CFA photo

Portfolio Characteristics

(as of 03/31/2026)
Fund Benchmark
Number of Positions 59 1,021
Weighted Average Market Cap $250.4 billion $348.9 billion
Active Share 71.6 n.a.
P/E using FY1 estimates 18.5x 12.2x
P/E using FY2 estimates 14.5x 10.6x
Price/Cash Flow 20.4 10.1
Price/Book 4.8 2.1
Return On Equity 20.7 19.7
EPS Growth (3 Yr) 26.8% 20.4%

Sources: Factset Research Systems, Inc.

Risk Metrics (3 Yr Return)

(as of 03/31/2026)
2.13%
Alpha
0.92
Beta
99.34%
Upside Capture
92.75%
Downside Capture
0.68
Sharpe Ratio
0.21
Information Ratio
7.17%
Tracking Error
81.83

Fund Risk Metrics are reflective of Investor share class.

Sources: Zephyr StyleADVISOR

Top 10 Holdings

(as of 03/31/2026)
Name Sector Country % Net Assets
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Information Technology Taiwan 8.9
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Information Technology South Korea 6.4
SK Hynix, Inc. Information Technology South Korea 3.6
Delta Electronics, Inc. Information Technology Taiwan 3.4
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. Industrials China/Hong Kong 3.3
Tencent Holdings, Ltd. Communication Services China/Hong Kong 3.0
Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd. Information Technology South Korea 2.9
Alibaba Group Holding, Ltd. Consumer Discretionary China/Hong Kong 2.9
Hanwha Aerospace Co., Ltd. Industrials South Korea 2.9
NAURA Technology Group Co., Ltd. Information Technology China/Hong Kong 2.9
TOTAL 40.2

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 03/31/2026)
  • Sector Allocation
  • Country Allocation
  • Market Cap Exposure
Sector Fund Benchmark Difference
Information Technology 54.1 36.4 17.7
Industrials 23.3 8.3 15.0
Consumer Discretionary 6.5 11.3 -4.8
Health Care 5.6 3.2 2.4
Communication Services 3.7 8.1 -4.4
Energy 2.0 2.8 -0.8
Financials 1.9 19.5 -17.6
Materials 0.0 3.9 -3.9
Consumer Staples 0.0 2.7 -2.7
Utilities 0.0 2.1 -2.1
Real Estate 0.0 1.8 -1.8
Cash and Other Assets, Less Liabilities 2.8 0.0 2.8

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

Country Fund Benchmark Difference
China/Hong Kong 35.6 34.0 1.6
Taiwan 31.9 25.8 6.1
South Korea 21.1 17.8 3.3
India 5.7 14.4 -8.7
Japan 2.9 0.0 2.9
Singapore 0.0 3.8 -3.8
Malaysia 0.0 1.4 -1.4
Thailand 0.0 1.3 -1.3
Indonesia 0.0 1.0 -1.0
Philippines 0.0 0.4 -0.4
Macau 0.0 0.1 -0.1
Cash and Other Assets, Less Liabilities 2.8 0.0 2.8

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

Equity market cap of issuer Fund Benchmark Difference
Mega Cap (over $25B) 54.6 69.8 -15.2
Large Cap ($10B-$25B) 21.7 20.2 1.5
Mid Cap ($3B-$10B) 10.5 10.0 0.5
Small Cap (under $3B) 10.4 0.1 10.3
Cash and Other Assets, Less Liabilities 2.8 0.0 2.8

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 March 31, 2026

Market Environment

  • Asian equities experienced volatility in the first quarter as markets surged in the first two months—supported by increasing demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and an easing of the global macro environment—and in March experienced a sharp pullback as the Iran conflict threatened oil and gas shipments and triggered a spike in energy prices.
  • Taiwan and South Korea delivered strong returns as positive sentiment around their global leadership in AI-related chipmaking offset concerns over their dependence on oil and gas imports. In contrast, India posted the largest decline among major Asian markets as higher oil prices added to concerns over weaker economic growth and AI disruption of its IT sector.
  • China’s market declined, mainly due to investor rotation out of Chinese large caps that had previously delivered strong gains, and into other markets with clearer growth attributes.
  • In Southeast Asia, Singapore and Malaysia were among the better-performing markets, due to the resilience and diversification of their economies, while markets such as Vietnam and Indonesia posted large declines due to concerns over elevated energy prices.

Contributors and Detractors

  • For the quarter ended March 31, 2026, the Matthews Asia Innovators Fund returned 7.83%, (Investor Class) and 7.87% (Institutional Class) while its benchmark, the MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan Index, returned -1.13% over the same period.
  • On a country basis, the top three contributors to relative performance were Taiwan and South Korea due to stock selection and India due to an underweight allocation. The top three detractors were the U.S. due to an off-benchmark allocation, Singapore due to stock selection and Thailand due to zero allocation.
  • On a sector basis, the top three contributors to relative performance were information technology (IT), materials and industrials due to stock selection. The top three detractors were consumer discretionary due to stock selection, health care due to an overweight allocation and utilities due to zero allocation.
  • The largest contributors to absolute performance included Samsung Electronics, a South Korean semiconductor and consumer electronics maker, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., (TSMC), a globally leading chipmaker, and LandMark Optoelectronics Corp., a Taiwanese provider of specialist semiconductor materials. The top three detractors included Tencent Holdings, a Chinese online gaming and social media conglomerate, MakeMyTrip Ltd., an Indian consumer discretionary company, and Alibaba Group, the largest e-commerce platform company in China.

Outlook

  • Disruption in energy distribution and elevated oil and gas prices stemming from the Iran conflict are expected to be a dampener on global economic growth. However, the uncertainty surrounding the crisis make it difficult to assess potential scenarios with reasonable degrees of conviction.
  • The diversity of Asian markets means the impact of disruption to energy supplies will be uneven. While the economies, currencies and consumers of Southeast Asia and India will likely face the inflationary pressures of higher oil prices in the months ahead, thereby impacting market sentiment, South Korea and Taiwan may continue to benefit from the global dominance of their AI hardware segments.
  • The planned summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and China’s Xi Jinping in May is another geopolitical variable that may hold significance for markets. The outcome of the meeting could signal an improvement or a deterioration in relations, which could quickly impact market sentiment.
  • We believe the structural drivers of emerging markets and Asia, including the AI supply chain and global re-industrialization that impacts defense, shipping and energy, remain intact. The asset class had an impressive start to the year, backed by significant investor inflows. The conflict has placed a pause on this to some extent but we do not believe the story has paused.

View the Fund's Top 10 holdings as of March 31, 2026. Current and future holdings are subject to change and risk.

Average Annual Total Returns - MATFX as of 03/31/2026
1YR 3YR 5YR 10YR Since Inception Inception Date
37.76% 16.17% 1.12% 11.87% 5.80% 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 1.29%

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.