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Matthews China Dividend Fund
MCDFX

Snapshot
  • Total return strategy seeks to access the growth of China with lower volatility
  • Unconstrained all-cap portfolio with a quality bias
  • Flexible approach offers participation in both growth and value markets

11/30/2009

Inception Date

-0.29%

YTD Return

(as of 03/21/2023)

$13.96

NAV

(as of 03/21/2023)

+0.22

1 Day NAV Change

(as of 03/21/2023)

Objective

Total return with an emphasis on providing current income.

Strategy

Under normal circumstances, the Matthews China Dividend Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its net assets, which include borrowings for investment purposes, in dividend-paying equity securities of companies located in China. The Fund may also invest in convertible debt and equity securities. The Fund seeks to provide a level of current income that is higher than the yield generally available in Chinese equity markets over the long term.

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 markets involves different and greater risks, as these countries are substantially smaller, less liquid and more volatile than securities markets in more developed markets. In addition, investments in a single-country fund, which is considered a non-diversified fund, may be subject to a higher degree of market risk than diversified funds because of concentration in a specific country. There is no guarantee that the Fund or the companies in its portfolio will pay or continue to pay dividends.

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

Fund Facts
Inception Date 11/30/2009
Fund Assets $232.14 million (02/28/2023)
Currency USD
Ticker MCDFX
Cusip 577-125-305
Portfolio Turnover 67.1%
Benchmark MSCI China Index
Geographic Focus China - China includes its administrative and other districts, such as Hong Kong
Fees & Expenses
Gross Expense Ratio 1.12%

Performance

  • Monthly
  • Quarterly
  • Calendar Year
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As of 02/28/2023
Average Annual Total Returns
Name 1MO 3MO YTD 1YR 3YR 5YR 10YR Since Inception Inception Date
Matthews China Dividend Fund - MCDFX
11/30/2009
MCDFX
-8.80% 4.72% 0.72% -7.84% 2.09% 0.76% 6.72% 7.69%
MSCI China Index
-10.38% 5.40% 0.18% -16.00% -6.09% -5.35% 2.64% 2.44%
As of 12/31/2022
Average Annual Total Returns
Name 1MO 3MO YTD 1YR 3YR 5YR 10YR Since Inception Inception Date
Matthews China Dividend Fund - MCDFX
11/30/2009
MCDFX
3.97% 16.45% -16.75% -16.75% 0.96% 1.27% 6.87% 7.73%
MSCI China Index
5.21% 13.53% -21.80% -21.80% -7.38% -4.40% 2.62% 2.45%
For the years ended December 31st
Name 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013
Matthews China Dividend Fund - MCDFX
MCDFX
-16.75% -0.49% 24.22% 15.00% -9.98% 37.69% 5.70% 9.54% 0.93% 13.35%
MSCI China Index
-21.80% -21.64% 29.67% 23.66% -18.75% 54.33% 1.11% -7.62% 8.26% 3.96%

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 12/31/2022)

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.

Yield

(as of 12/31/2022)
1.17% 30-Day SEC Yield
1.17% 30-Day SEC Yield (excluding expense waiver)
2.80% Dividend Yield

30-Day SEC Yield Source: BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc.

Ratings

  • OVERALL
  • out of 91 funds
  • 3 YEAR
  • out of 91 funds
  • 5 YEAR
  • out of 77 funds
  • 10 YEAR
  • out of 52 funds
  • 1 YEAR
  • 1st
  • 10 out of 107 funds
  • 3 YEAR
  • 2nd
  • 25 out of 85 funds
  • 5 YEAR
  • 1st
  • 17 out of 72 funds
  • 10 YEAR
  • 1st
  • 6 out of 47 funds
  • SINCE INCEPTION
  • 1st
  • 3 out of 37 funds

Ratings agency calculation methodology

Portfolio Managers

Sherwood  Zhang, CFA photo
Sherwood Zhang, CFA

Lead Manager

Winnie  Chwang photo
Winnie Chwang

Lead Manager

Elli  Lee photo
Elli Lee

Co-Manager

Andrew  Mattock, CFA photo
Andrew Mattock, CFA

Co-Manager

Portfolio Characteristics

(as of 12/31/2022)
Fund Benchmark
Number of Positions 38 714
Weighted Average Market Cap $85.0 billion $117.5 billion
Active Share 73.7 n.a.
P/E using FY1 estimates 13.1x 10.1x
P/E using FY2 estimates 10.7x 9.9x
Price/Cash Flow 7.3 5.8
Price/Book 1.6 1.4
Return On Equity 16.1 11.9
EPS Growth (3 Yr) 1.7% 4.1%

Sources: Factset Research Systems, Inc.

Risk Metrics (3 Yr Return)

(as of 12/31/2022)
7.11%
Alpha
0.82
Beta
95.66%
Upside Capture
81.99%
Downside Capture
0.01
Sharpe Ratio
0.76
Information Ratio
10.92%
Tracking Error
85.50

Fund Risk Metrics are reflective of Investor share class.

Sources: Zephyr StyleADVISOR

Top 10 Holdings

(as of 02/28/2023)
Name Sector % Net Assets
Tencent Holdings, Ltd. Communication Services 9.6
Alibaba Group Holding, Ltd. Consumer Discretionary 6.7
CITIC Telecom International Holdings, Ltd. Communication Services 5.3
Tsingtao Brewery Co., Ltd. Consumer Staples 3.3
Wuliangye Yibin Co., Ltd. Consumer Staples 3.3
Ping An Insurance Group Co. of China, Ltd. Financials 3.0
China Merchants Bank Co., Ltd. Financials 2.9
Postal Savings Bank of China Co., Ltd. Financials 2.8
Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. Consumer Discretionary 2.7
Yadea Group Holdings, Ltd. Consumer Discretionary 2.7
TOTAL 42.3

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 12/31/2022)
  • Sector Allocation
  • Asset Type Breakdown
  • Market Cap Exposure
  • China Exposure
Sector Fund Benchmark Difference
Consumer Discretionary 29.5 30.3 -0.8
Communication Services 15.4 18.6 -3.2
Financials 11.4 15.7 -4.3
Consumer Staples 9.0 5.8 3.2
Real Estate 7.4 3.5 3.9
Industrials 6.8 5.6 1.2
Health Care 6.6 6.2 0.4
Materials 6.0 3.5 2.5
Information Technology 5.2 5.7 -0.5
Energy 1.7 2.5 -0.8
Utilities 0.0 2.6 -2.6
Cash and Other Assets, Less Liabilities 1.1 0.0 1.1

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

Asset Type Fund
Common Equities and ADRs 98.9
Cash and Other Assets, Less Liabilities 1.1
Equity market cap of issuer Fund Benchmark Difference
Mega Cap (over $25B) 45.4 62.4 -17.0
Large Cap ($10B-$25B) 12.7 20.1 -7.4
Mid Cap ($3B-$10B) 24.0 16.1 7.9
Small Cap (under $3B) 16.8 1.5 15.3
Cash and Other Assets, Less Liabilities 1.1 0.0 1.1
China Exposure Portfolio Weight
SAR (Hong Kong) 36.4
H Shares 25.4
Overseas Listed Companies (OL) 14.6
A Shares 12.9
China-affiliated corporations (CAC) 5.1
B Shares 4.6
Cash and Other Assets, Less Liabilities 1.1

Definitions: SAR (Hong Kong) companies are companies that conduct business in Hong Kong and/or mainland China. China-affiliated corporations [CAC], also known as "Red Chips," are mainland China companies with partial state ownership listed in Hong Kong, and incorporated in Hong Kong. China A Shares are Mainland Chinese companies incorporated in China and listed on the Shanghai or Shenzhen exchanges, available mostly to local Chinese investors and qualified institutional investors. H Shares are mainland Chinese companies listed on the Hong Kong exchange but incorporated in mainland China. B Shares are mainland Chinese companies listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges, available to both Chinese and non-Chinese investors. Overseas Listed [OL] companies are companies that conduct business in mainland China but listed in overseas markets such as Japan, Singapore, Taiwan and the United States.

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)
12/13/2022 12/14/2022 $0.10770 $0.00000 $0.25441 $0.36211 2.5% N.A.
06/27/2022 06/28/2022 $0.41693 $0.00000 $0.00000 $0.41693 2.8% N.A.
View History

 

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 December 31, 2022

For the year ending December 31, 2022, the Matthews China Dividend Fund returned -16.75% (Investor Class) and -16.59% (Institutional Class), while its benchmark, the MSCI China Index, returned -21.80% over the same period. For the fourth quarter of the year, the Fund returned 16.45% (Investor Class) and 16.55% (Institutional Class), while the benchmark returned 13.53%.

Market Environment:

2022 will certainly be remembered as a year of volatility. Global equity markets reacted negatively to a series of events, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the spike in energy costs, aggressive rate rises by the U.S. Federal Reserve and other central banks, the lock down in Shanghai, tensions over Taiwan, and the Chinese Communist Party’s selection of a new leadership team for the next five years. 

In November, Chinese equities markets hit their lowest point of the year. However, in that same month, China relaxed many of its COVID quarantine policies, signaling a change in policy direction in managing the virus and Chinese equities reacted favorably. Then, in early December, the government announced the scrapping of its zero-COVID policy and the removal of quarantine requirements for international visitors. Meanwhile, the U.S. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) announced that it was able to fully inspect and investigate the audit workbooks of PCAOB-registered accounting firms working for Chinese companies listed on U.S. securities exchanges. This greatly reduced the risk of Chinese companies being forced to delist in the U.S. On the back of these positive developments, Chinese equities, especially those listed in the offshore market, began a strong rebound.

Performance Contributors and Detractors:

During 2022, at the sector level, stock selection in industrials, consumer discretionary and information technology were the biggest contributors to performance. On the other hand, stock selection in the energy sector was the biggest detractor. In terms of market capitalization, small-cap holdings continued to outperform their large-cap peers.

Among individual holdings, Yangzijiang Shipbuilding was the top contributor. Having spun off its financial and investment business to focus on its core shipbuilding business, the company has grown its order book and last year secured the first contract for its LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) ship. It also benefited from a weakening Chinese currency and declining steel price. China Tourism Group Duty Free was the second-largest contributor as its business in Hainan Island and international airports in China may benefit significantly when Chinese tourism returns to normal. Pinduoduo, an online shopping platform, was also a top contributor as COVID-related lockdowns forced many consumers to shop online and its discount pricing also attracted more spending. However, we are very mindful that its recent push into the U.S. market might significantly reduce its short-term earnings and we will adjust our position accordingly.

Conversely, consumer internet giant Tencent was the largest detractor to performance. Given a challenging operating environment, management has been doing a good job increasing long-term investor returns by distributing its investments in companies in specie to shareholders. China Suntien Green Energy was the second-largest detractor as its gas pipeline suffered from lower utilization due to reduced industrial activity. Pharmaron Beijing, a leading Contract Research Organization (CRO), was also a large detractor. The company and the clinical trial services industry is increasingly facing risks tied to U.S.-China tensions and it may be pressed to build facilities outside China which we believe would be a drag on profitability.

Notable Portfolio Changes:

During the year we added Ping An Insurance Group. While Ping An has been hampered by its exposure to the real estate sector and China’s zero-COVID policy, we believe its competitive advantage over state-owned insurance companies still exists. In addition, we added Wharf Real Estate Investment which owns some of the largest prime shopping centers in Hong Kong. We expect that the return of mainland Chinese consumers will increase retail sales of Wharf’s tenants and thus create drivers of higher rents down the road. We also added delivery company ZTO Express as we expect that a rebound of Chinese consumption growth in 2023 will create volume growth for the industry.

We exited BOC Hong Kong as we see limited credit-demand pickup while competition for deposits is driving up funding costs. We also exited Chongqing Changan Automobile as passenger car purchase-tax benefits are starting to be reduced and competitors will cut prices, in our view. We also exited battery-component maker Zhejiang Hangke Technology as changes to electric vehicles (EV) tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act in the U.S. and slowing sales of EVs in China have created uncertainty for some of its key customers.

Outlook:

We are glad to see the Chinese government finally change course on its zero-COVID policy. The uncertain regulation of internet platforms, draconian cooling measures for the property market and zero COVID have been the three main drags on the economy. But while policies are turning on all these areas there is still work to do. Many private entrepreneurs need to be incentivized to take risk and make investments and start hiring again while Chinese consumers who have stacked additional savings during the pandemic could also be helped with spending subsidies.

After the recent strong rally in Chinese equities we believe the next phase of the rebound will be driven by strong fundamentals. During this phase, high-quality companies with strong earnings and cash flow and healthy balance sheets could start to outperform. These companies have always been our focus. With their low valuations and strong growth potential we believe our portfolio could deliver an attractive total risk-adjusted return for shareholders.

Top 10 holdings as of December 31, 2022. Current and future holdings are subject to change and risk.

Average Annual Total Returns - MCDFX as of 12/31/2022
1YR 3YR 5YR 10YR Since Inception Inception Date
-16.75% 0.96% 1.27% 6.87% 7.73% 11/30/2009

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
Gross Expense Ratio 1.12%
Yields as of 12/31/2022
30-Day SEC Yield 1.17%
30-Day SEC Yield (excluding expense waiver) 1.17%
Dividend Yield 2.80%

The 30-Day SEC Yield represents net investment income earned by the Fund over the 30-day period ended 12/31/2022, expressed as an annual percentage rate based on the Fund’s share price at the end of the 30-day period. The 30-Day SEC Yield should be regarded as an estimate of the Fund’s rate of investment income, and it may not equal the Fund’s actual income distribution rate. Source: BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc.

Dividend Yield (trailing) is the weighted average sum of the dividends paid by each equity security held by the Fund over the last 12 months divided by the current price as of report date. The annualised dividend yield is for the equity-only portion of the Fund and does not reflect the actual yield an investor in the Fund would receive. There can be no guarantee that companies that the Fund invests in, and which have historically paid dividends, will continue to pay them or to pay them at the current rates in the future. A positive distribution yield does not imply positive return, and past yields are no guarantee of future yields.

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 markets involves different and greater risks, as these countries are substantially smaller, less liquid and more volatile than securities markets in more developed markets. In addition, investments in a single-country fund, which is considered a non-diversified fund, may be subject to a higher degree of market risk than diversified funds because of concentration in a specific country. There is no guarantee that the Fund or the companies in its portfolio will pay or continue to pay dividends.

There is no guarantee that a company will pay or continue to increase dividends. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

 

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.