Chinese stocks and the exchange traded funds that hold those shares have been disappointments this year.
Despite ongoing calls that Chinese stocks are inexpensive, the iShares China Large-Cap ETF (NYSEArca: FXI) has performed slightly worse than the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (NYSEArca: EEM) since the start of the year.
A look at a long-term chart of the Shanghai Composite, provided below courtesy of Chart of the Day, indicates the mainland benchmark index is once again bumping up against critical resistance.
Chart Courtesy: Chart of the Day
The Shanghai Composite is up almost 1.6% this year, but if it can break the aforementioned technical resistance, that should light a fire under the db X-trackers Harvest CSI 300 China A-Shares Fund (NYSEArca: ASHR) and the Market Vectors China ETF (NYSEArca: PEK). The reason: Stocks traded in Shanghai are classified as A-shares and ASHR and PEK are the only U.S.-listed ETFs to offer investors direct access to A-shares equities. [A-Shares ETFs Increase EM Access]