Chinese investors favour equity over bonds as Fed balance sheet unwind sparks fears
Mainland investors are seeking exposure to equities, but without the volatility, according to Legg Mason survey
Chinese investors are likely to reposition their investments portfolios, seeking alternatives to fixed income products because of growing concerns over the US Federal Reserve’s reversal of its unprecedented monetary stimulus, according to US asset management firm Legg Mason.
Among investors, 35 per cent said they look for assets that provide higher income, such as income funds or dividend funds, according to a Legg Mason survey of 4,595 investors conducted in seven markets.
Just under a third of Chinese investors polled said their biggest concern was the coming end of quantitative easing, compared to 9 per cent which said the key concern was political instability globally.
“You can see the appetite of Chinese investors is changing. Now they want more stock exposure but without much volatility. They want to diversify into emerging markets too,” said Freeman Tsang, director of business development, head of China and Hong Kong, Legg Mason. The global firm manages US$754.4 billion in assets.
A sell-off in China’s bond market accelerated after the 19th Party Congress as banks cut their trading account positions because of expectations over rising US rates and worries for tighter Chinese regulation.
The Fed is paring down its US$4.5 trillion balance sheet by scaling back holdings of government and mortgage debt it amassed during three rounds of quantitative easing. Markets are also increasingly confident the Fed will hike interest rates in December, exerting upward pressure to market yields.