Saying exchange traded funds holding China’s A-shares, the stocks trading on mainland exchanges in Shanghai and Shenzhen, have been hot this year is an understatement.
Each of the top four non-leveraged ETFs and five of the top six on a year-to-date basis are A-shares funds, which underscores the fact that betting against the likes of the Deutsche X-trackers Harvest CSI 300 China A-Shares ETF (NYSEArca: ASHR), KraneShares Bosera MSCI China A ETF (NYSEArca: KBA) and the Market Vectors ChinaAMC A-Share ETF (NYSEArca: PEK) has been hazardous to a portfolio’s health.
Still, it pays to remember that securities usually do not move up in straight lines and that A-shares stocks and ETFs can be volatile. Tactical traders looking to profit from pullbacks in A-shares now have a tool with which to do that thanks to today’s debut of the Direxion Daily CSI 300 China A Share Bear 1x Shares (NYSEArca: CHAD).
The Direxion Daily CSI 300 China A Share Bear 1x Shares is an inverse though not leveraged ETF that seeks to deliver the daily inverse returns of the CSI 300 Index, the underlying benchmark for ASHR, the largest U.S.-listed A-shares ETF, and PEK, the oldest A-shares ETF. CHAD, the new Direxion offering, is the only ETF trading in the U.S. to provide inverse A-shares exposure. [Increasing Activity for Leveraged China ETFs]
“China A-shares account for roughly two-thirds of the market capitalization of Chinese stocks, and are listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges. Since most foreign investors cannot purchase China A-shares, investors in most existing China ETFs lack exposure to the majority of Chinese companies,” according to Direxion. “Since July 2014 China’s growth has drifted steadily lower, yet the A-shares have soared in value. Some think this means China’s markets may veer into bubble territory.”
CHAD debuts barely more than a week after MSCI (NYSE: MSCI) said it is delaying the addition of China’s A-shares to its global indexes until the country resolves some of the index provider’s concerns, including the quota allocation process, capital mobility restrictions and beneficial ownership. Last month, MSCI rival FTSE Russell said it will transition A-shares into global benchmarks, meaning A-shares will eventually join the Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (NYSEArca: VWO), the largest emerging markets ETF by assets. [MSCI Delays A-Shares Addition]