TOP

Matthews Emerging Markets Discovery Fund

Snapshot
  • Seeks alpha in innovative, capital efficient entrepreneurial companies in emerging markets
  • Focus on firms that have a strong competitive advantage through pricing power, distribution capability, and/or differentiated technologies and services
  • Bias toward businesses that cater to rising domestic consumer demand

15/09/2023

Inception Date

-3.33%

YTD Return (USD)

(as of 20/01/2025)

$9.59

NAV (USD)

(as of 20/01/2025)

+0.07

1 Day NAV Change

(as of 20/01/2025)

Objective

Seeks to achieve long term capital appreciation.

Sustainability

The Fund promotes environmental and social characteristics according to Article 8 of SFDR. Furthermore, the Fund uses both activity- and norm-based exclusions. Information relating to the environmental and social characteristics of this Fund is available in the prospectus.

Strategy

Under normal market conditions, the Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing, directly or indirectly, primarily (i.e., at least 65% of its total net assets) in equities of Small Companies located in or with substantial ties to emerging market countries. Emerging Market countries generally include every country in the world except the United States, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore and most of the countries in Western Europe. Certain emerging market countries may also be classified as “frontier” market countries, which are a subset of emerging market countries with newer or even less developed economies and markets, such as Sri Lanka and Vietnam. The list of emerging market countries and frontier market countries may change from time to time. In addition, the Fund may also invest in depositary receipts that are treated as emerging markets investments, including American, European and Global Depositary Receipts.

Risks

The value of an investment in the Fund can go down as well as up and possible loss of principal is a risk of investing. Investments in international, emerging and frontier market securities may involve risks such as social and political instability, market illiquidity, exchange-rate fluctuations, a high level of volatility and limited regulation, which may adversely affect the value of the Fund's assets. The Fund invests in holdings denominated in foreign currencies, and is exposed to the risk that the value of the foreign currency will increase or decrease. The Fund invests primarily in equity securities, which may result in increased volatility. The Fund invests in smaller companies, which are more volatile and less liquid than larger companies.

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

Fund Facts
Inception Date 15/09/2023
Fund Assets $15.76 million (31/12/2024)
Base Currency USD
ISIN: LU2651608676 (USD) LU2651608759 (GBP)
Bloomberg Symbol MAEDIAU:LX (USD) MAEDSIA:LX (GBP)
Benchmark MSCI Emerging Markets Small Cap Index
Geographic Focus Emerging market countries generally include every country in the world except the United States, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore and most of the countries in Western Europe.
SFDR Classification Article 8
Fees & Expenses
Management Fee 1.00%
Total Expense Ratio 1.15% ( USD ) 1.15% ( GBP )

Performance

  • Monthly
  • Quarterly
  • Calendar Year
  • Rolling 12 Month
    Returns
  • data_graph_selected Created with Sketch.
  • bar_graph_selected Created with Sketch.
As of 31/12/2024
Annualized Returns
Name 1MO 3MO YTD 1YR 3YR 5YR 10YR Since Inception Inception Date
Matthews Emerging Markets Discovery Fund (USD)
-2.36% -11.35% -4.80% -4.80% n.a. n.a. n.a. -0.62% 15/09/2023
MSCI Emerging Markets Small Cap Index (USD)
-0.99% -7.12% 5.23% 5.23% n.a. n.a. n.a. 9.14%
Matthews Emerging Markets Discovery Fund (GBP)
-1.01% -5.12% -3.44% -3.44% n.a. n.a. n.a. -1.40% 15/09/2023
MSCI Emerging Markets Small Cap Index (GBP)
0.48% -0.53% 7.11% 7.11% n.a. n.a. n.a. 8.27%
As of 31/12/2024
Annualized Returns
Name 1MO 3MO YTD 1YR 3YR 5YR 10YR Since Inception Inception Date
Matthews Emerging Markets Discovery Fund (USD)
-2.36% -11.35% -4.80% -4.80% n.a. n.a. n.a. -0.62% 15/09/2023
MSCI Emerging Markets Small Cap Index (USD)
-0.99% -7.12% 5.23% 5.23% n.a. n.a. n.a. 9.14%
Matthews Emerging Markets Discovery Fund (GBP)
-1.01% -5.12% -3.44% -3.44% n.a. n.a. n.a. -1.40% 15/09/2023
MSCI Emerging Markets Small Cap Index (GBP)
0.48% -0.53% 7.11% 7.11% n.a. n.a. n.a. 8.27%
For the years ended December 31st
Name 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020
Matthews Emerging Markets Discovery Fund (USD)
-4.80% n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.
MSCI Emerging Markets Small Cap Index (USD)
5.23% n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.
Matthews Emerging Markets Discovery Fund (GBP)
-3.44% n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.
MSCI Emerging Markets Small Cap Index (GBP)
7.11% n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.
For the period ended 31/12/2024
Name 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 Inception Date
Matthews Emerging Markets Discovery Fund (USD)
-4.80% n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. 15/09/2023
MSCI Emerging Markets Small Cap Index (USD)
5.23% n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.
Matthews Emerging Markets Discovery Fund (GBP)
-3.44% n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. 15/09/2023
MSCI Emerging Markets Small Cap Index (GBP)
7.11% n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

Source: Brown Brothers Harriman (Luxembourg) S.C.A.

All returns over 1 year are annualized

Since inception performance for share classes with less than one year of history represents actual performance, not annualised. In addition, for share classes less than a year old, Year to Date Return is calculated since inception. Where no past performance is shown there was insufficient data available in that year to provide performance.

Performance details provided are based on a NAV-to-NAV basis with any dividends reinvested, and are net of management fees and other expenses. Performance data has been calculated in the respective currencies stated above, including ongoing charges and excluding subscription fee and redemption fee you might have to pay.

All performance quoted represents past performance and is not indicative of future performance. Investors may not get back the full amount invested. Investors investing in funds denominated in non-local currency should be aware of the risk of currency exchange fluctuations that may cause a loss of principal.

Additional performance, attribution, liquidity, value at risk (VaR), security classification and holdings information is available on request for certain time periods.

Portfolio Characteristics

(as of 31/12/2024)
Fund Benchmark
Number of Positions 76 2,014
Weighted Average Market Cap $3.9 billion $2.1 billion
Active Share 97.2 n.a.
P/E using FY1 estimates 14.6x 14.9x
P/E using FY2 estimates 12.6x 13.0x
Price/Cash Flow 9.3 8.5
Price/Book 1.9 1.5
Return On Equity 11.8 12.4
EPS Growth (3 Yr) 23.8% 21.9%

Sources: Factset Research Systems, Inc.

Top 10 Holdings

(as of 31/12/2024)
Name Sector Country % Net Assets
Bandhan Bank, Ltd. Financials India 6.1
Hugel, Inc. Health Care South Korea 4.0
Legend Biotech Corp. Health Care China/Hong Kong 3.5
Shriram Finance, Ltd. Financials India 3.0
Full Truck Alliance Co., Ltd. Industrials China/Hong Kong 2.6
Cartrade Tech, Ltd. Consumer Discretionary India 2.5
M31 Technology Corp. Information Technology Taiwan 2.2
Inox Wind, Ltd. Industrials India 2.1
Radico Khaitan, Ltd. Consumer Staples India 2.0
We Buy Cars Pty, Ltd. Consumer Discretionary South Africa 1.9
TOTAL 29.9

Top 10 holdings may combine more than one security from the same issuer and related depositary receipts.
Source: Brown Brothers Harriman (Luxembourg) S.C.A

Portfolio Breakdown (%)

(as of 31/12/2024)
  • Sector Allocation
  • Country Allocation
  • Market Cap Exposure
Sector Fund Benchmark Difference
Information Technology 18.5 17.4 1.1
Consumer Discretionary 18.5 11.5 7.0
Industrials 18.1 18.0 0.1
Financials 16.9 11.1 5.8
Health Care 9.7 9.6 0.1
Consumer Staples 4.9 6.4 -1.5
Real Estate 4.9 6.4 -1.5
Communication Services 2.9 3.3 -0.4
Materials 0.9 11.3 -10.4
Utilities 0.0 3.2 -3.2
Energy 0.0 1.7 -1.7
Cash and Other Assets, Less Liabilities 4.6 0.0 4.6

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

Country Fund Benchmark Difference
India 25.4 29.9 -4.5
China/Hong Kong 21.2 9.8 11.4
Taiwan 12.8 21.0 -8.2
South Korea 7.9 10.1 -2.2
Vietnam 5.8 0.0 5.8
Brazil 5.7 2.9 2.8
South Africa 3.8 3.7 0.1
Philippines 2.4 0.7 1.7
Saudi Arabia 2.2 4.0 -1.8
Poland 1.8 1.3 0.5
Chile 1.8 0.7 1.1
Turkey 1.6 2.2 -0.6
Indonesia 1.4 1.9 -0.5
Thailand 0.6 3.1 -2.5
Mexico 0.5 1.4 -0.9
Bangladesh 0.5 0.0 0.5
Malaysia 0.0 3.0 -3.0
Kuwait 0.0 1.2 -1.2
United Arab Emirates 0.0 1.1 -1.1
Greece 0.0 0.8 -0.8
Qatar 0.0 0.7 -0.7
Colombia 0.0 0.1 -0.1
Czech Republic 0.0 0.1 -0.1
Egypt 0.0 0.1 -0.1
Hungary 0.0 0.1 -0.1
Peru 0.0 0.1 -0.1
Cash and Other Assets, Less Liabilities 4.6 0.0 4.6

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

Equity market cap of issuer Fund Benchmark Difference
Mega Cap (over $25B) 0.0 0.0 0.0
Large Cap ($10B-$25B) 7.1 0.1 7.0
Mid Cap ($3B-$10B) 35.3 19.3 16.0
Small Cap (under $3B) 52.9 80.6 -27.7
Cash and Other Assets, Less Liabilities 4.6 0.0 4.6

Source: FactSet Research Systems unless otherwise noted.
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.

ESG Characteristics

(as of 30/09/2024)
  • Business Involvement
  • Sustainability Attributes
Name Fund Benchmark Difference
Controversial Weapons
Fund Coverage: 100% Benchmark Coverage: 98%
0.0 0.4 -0.4
Tobacco
Fund Coverage: 100% Benchmark Coverage: 98%
0.0 0.3 -0.3
Name Fund Benchmark Difference
UN Global Compact Violators
Fund Coverage: 100% Benchmark Coverage: 98%
0.0 0.1 -0.1
Board Diversity
Fund Coverage: 100% Benchmark Coverage: 98%
20.8 16.4 4.4

Board Diversity: Represents the weighted average ratio of female board members in investee companies.
Tobacco: Represents companies that generate more than 5% of revenue from tobacco manufacturing exposure to or production or that generate more than 50% of revenue from tobacco retail. 
UN Global Compact Violators: Represents companies that have been assessed as failing to comply with the 10 United Nations Global Compact Principles by ISS-ESG Norms-Based Research. Different ESG research providers may come to different conclusions on the severity of the violation.
Controversial weapons include companies with involvement in the following: anti-personnel mines; biological and chemical weapons; cluster weapons; depleted uranium; nuclear weapons and white phosphorus. A company is excluded if it is directly involved in the production, selling and/or distribution of (parts of) controversial weapons and this involvement concerns the core weapon system, or components/services of the core weapon system that are tailor-made and essential for the lethal use of the weapon.

Source: Sustainalytics, Factset, MSCI, Matthews Asia.

GHG Intensity

(as of 30/09/2024)

Fund Coverage: 96%; Benchmark Coverage: 89% as of 30/09/2024

GHG Intensity: Represents the normalized portfolio’s total weighted average (scope 1 + scope 2) carbon emissions intensity, using the most recently available data (emissions data from 2020, 2021). Carbon intensity represents the issuer’s total carbon emissions per EUR million of revenue (tCO2e divided by EUR million in revenue).

Source: Sourced from ISS ESG. Where not covered by external data providers, we have tried to source these data points.

Sustainability-related Disclosures

This Fund Yes No
Complies with Article 8 of SFDR  
Investment process integrates ESG factors and sustainability risks based on proprietary and third-party research  
Applies norms- and activity-based exclusions  
Promotes environmental and social characteristics  
Has a sustainable investment objective  
Conducts engagement  
Exercises Voting Rights  

Investors should not invest in the Fund solely based on the information in this material alone. Please refer to the Prospectus for further details of the Fund’s investment objective and risk factors.

For more information, please refer to our Responsible Investment and Stewardship Policy and our ESG-Related Investment Policy of Matthews Asia Funds.

Portfolio Managers

Vivek  Tanneeru photo
Vivek Tanneeru

Lead Manager

Jeremy  Sutch, CFA photo
Jeremy Sutch, CFA

Co-Manager

Alex  Zarechnak photo
Alex Zarechnak

Co-Manager

Hardy  Zhu photo
Hardy Zhu

Co-Manager

Commentary

Period ended 31 December 2024

Market Environment

  • Emerging markets fared pretty well in 2024 but there were divergent trends within regions and between markets. Changing expectations for U.S. interest rates and a fluctuation in the U.S. dollar were big influencers as was the ongoing strength in the artificial intelligence (AI) space.
  • After a strong start, India’s market experienced a selloff when Prime Minister Modi failed to win a majority in the elections in June, but quickly recovered after Modi secured a ruling coalition with allies. Later in the year, the market experienced a small correction as economic expansion eased and there was a downgrade in earnings, particularly in the consumer space.
  • Taiwan's market powered through the year thanks to demand for its AI chips while South Korea was one of the biggest underperformers in emerging markets amid softening demand in the auto sector and a cyclical downturn in segments such as heavy industries. The market also experienced volatility after South Korea’s president briefly imposed martial law and then was impeached.
  • Chinese equities had a volatile start to the year and then rallied through the spring helped by government initiatives to support the property sector. The market sagged through the summer before surging in September as the government unveiled a broad package of stimulus measures aimed at kickstarting a recovery in the real estate market, lifting consumer confidence and improving liquidity in the stock market.
  • Latin America was a significant underperformer. Mexico experienced negative sentiment through most of the year in anticipation of, and then in response to, the election of Claudia Sheinbaum as president in June, and the potential impact her reform agenda may have on the private sector. In Brazil, equities underperformed and the Brazilian real declined as the central bank battled inflation and worries mounted over the government’s spending and fiscal management.

Contributors and Detractors

  • For the year ended December 31, 2024, the Emerging Markets Discovery Fund returned -4.80%, (I Acc USD) while its benchmark, the MSCI Emerging Markets Small Cap Index, returned 5.23% over the same period.
  • On a country basis, the top three contributors to relative performance were Vietnam due to an off-benchmark allocation, South Korea and Mexico due to an underweight allocation. The top three detractors were Brazil due to an overweight allocation, China/Hong Kong and India due to stock selection.
  • On a sector basis, the top three contributors to relative performance were materials due to an underweight allocation, real estate due to stock selection and energy due to zero allocation. The top three detractors were industrials, health care and consumer discretionary due to stock selection.
  • The top three contributors to absolute performance included Shriram Finance, an Indian financial services provider, Full Truck Alliance, a Chinese freight marketplace operator, and Hugel, a South Korean maker of beauty and cosmetics products. The largest detractors included Bandhan Bank, an Indian commercial bank, YDUQS Participacoes, a Brazilian on-campus and distance-learning education company, and Legend Biotech, a global, commercial-stage biopharma company. 

Outlook

  • A key narrative for emerging markets could be the scale of the impact of the new Trump administration. Its policies could support a higher dollar, U.S. Treasury yields and interest rates and it could also impose tariffs on countries including China and Mexico. At the same time, a Trump administration could also stoke a stronger U.S. economy and that’s good for global growth and for risk assets.
  • After the first quarter of 2025, provided there is more clarity on U.S. trade policy as well as from China on its fiscal plans to boost its lackluster economy and real estate sector, we think volatility may subside and the outlook for emerging markets will improve. Taiwan should continue to benefit from strong demand for AI-related chips while in India we are focused more on financials, large caps and companies with consistent earnings growth where expectations aren’t so high.
  • At the global macro level, we will likely continue to see Federal Reserve rate cuts. This may not be a clear tailwind for emerging markets but will be less of a headwind, in our view. At this juncture, we would say that a large component of returns from emerging markets in 2025 will be backloaded into the second half of the year.

 

Rolling 12 Month Returns For the period ended 31/12/2024 - I (Acc)
Name 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 Inception Date
Matthews Emerging Markets Discovery Fund (USD)
-4.80% N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. 15/09/2023
MSCI Emerging Markets Small Cap Index (USD)
5.23% N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A.
Matthews Emerging Markets Discovery Fund (GBP)
-3.44% N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. 15/09/2023
MSCI Emerging Markets Small Cap Index (GBP)
7.11% N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A.

Sources: Brown Brothers Harriman (Luxembourg) S.C.A, Matthews Asia, FactSet Research Systems, Bloomberg

To find documents in additional languages, please visit the Fund Literature page in our Resources section.

Performance figures discussed in the Fund Manager Commentary above reflect that of the Institutional Accumulation Class Shares and has been calculated in USD. Performance details provided for the Fund are based on a NAV-to-NAV basis, with any dividends reinvested, and are net of management fees and other expenses. Past performance information is not indicative of future performance. Investors may not get back the full amount invested.

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. Matthews Asia and its affiliates do not accept any liability for losses either direct or consequential caused by the use of this information.

Information contained herein is sourced from Matthews Asia unless otherwise stated. The views and opinions in this commentary were as of the report date, subject to change and may not reflect the writer’s 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.

Investors should not invest in the Fund solely based on the information in this material alone. Please refer to the Prospectus for further details of the risk factors. 

Index Definitions