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Matthews Asia Dividend Fund

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

30/04/2010

Inception Date

7.28%

YTD Return (USD)

(as of 23/12/2024)

$19.00

NAV (USD)

(as of 23/12/2024)

+0.21

1 Day NAV Change

(as of 23/12/2024)

Objective

Seeks total return through capital appreciation and current income.

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

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing, directly or indirectly, at least 65% of its total net assets, in income-paying publicly traded common stocks, preferred stocks, convertible preferred stocks and other equity-related instruments of companies located in the Asia Pacific region, and may invest the remainder of its net assets in other permitted assets on a worldwide basis.

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. 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 30/04/2010
Fund Assets $55.42 million (30/11/2024)
Base Currency USD
ISIN: LU0491818331 (USD) LU0594556648 (GBP) LU0491818174 (EUR)
Bloomberg Symbol MATAADI:LX (USD) MATAAIA:LX (GBP) MAASDIE:LX (EUR)
Benchmark MSCI All Country Asia Pacific Index
Geographic Focus Asia Pacific: Consists of all countries and markets in Asia, as well as Australia and New Zealand including all developed, emerging and frontier countries and markets in Asia
SFDR Classification Article 8
Fees & Expenses
Management Fee 0.75%
Total Expense Ratio 0.90% ( USD ) 0.90% ( GBP ) 0.90% ( EUR )

Performance

  • Monthly
  • Quarterly
  • Calendar Year
  • Rolling 12 Month
    Returns
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As of 30/11/2024
Annualized Returns
Name 1MO 3MO YTD 1YR 3YR 5YR 10YR Since Inception Inception Date
Matthews Asia Dividend Fund (USD)
-0.97% -1.22% 9.43% 13.80% -7.05% 1.39% 3.38% 4.64% 30/04/2010
MSCI All Country Asia Pacific Index (USD)
-1.33% -0.97% 10.97% 16.05% 1.66% 5.02% 5.47% 5.44%
Matthews Asia Dividend Fund (GBP)
1.24% 2.55% 9.65% 13.39% -5.51% 1.70% 5.59% 6.23% 28/02/2011
MSCI All Country Asia Pacific Index (GBP)
-0.19% 2.40% 11.29% 15.58% 3.03% 5.39% 7.70% 6.85%
Matthews Asia Dividend Fund (EUR)
1.94% 3.61% 14.53% 17.77% -4.78% 2.19% n.a. 2.51% 15/05/2017
MSCI All Country Asia Pacific Index (EUR)
1.43% 3.78% 16.05% 19.88% 3.84% 5.92% n.a. 5.95%
As of 30/09/2024
Annualized Returns
Name 1MO 3MO YTD 1YR 3YR 5YR 10YR Since Inception Inception Date
Matthews Asia Dividend Fund (USD)
6.73% 12.46% 18.24% 25.69% -5.15% 3.65% 4.23% 5.26% 30/04/2010
MSCI All Country Asia Pacific Index (USD)
5.16% 9.16% 17.83% 27.26% 2.44% 7.30% 6.15% 5.94%
Matthews Asia Dividend Fund (GBP)
4.96% 6.10% 12.23% 14.98% -5.03% 1.91% 6.20% 6.49% 28/02/2011
MSCI All Country Asia Pacific Index (GBP)
3.03% 2.87% 11.98% 15.80% 2.61% 5.49% 8.18% 6.98%
Matthews Asia Dividend Fund (EUR)
5.58% 7.43% 16.71% 18.86% -4.11% 3.10% n.a. 2.83% 15/05/2017
MSCI All Country Asia Pacific Index (EUR)
4.29% 4.83% 16.62% 20.72% 3.73% 6.79% n.a. 6.15%
For the years ended December 31st
Name 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014
Matthews Asia Dividend Fund (USD)
4.98% -30.00% -1.75% 31.32% 10.66% -12.85% 33.49% 4.09% 3.87% -0.96%
MSCI All Country Asia Pacific Index (USD)
11.81% -16.92% -1.19% 20.07% 19.74% -13.25% 32.04% 5.21% -1.68% 0.29%
Matthews Asia Dividend Fund (GBP)
-0.71% -21.55% -0.44% 26.77% 7.36% -7.98% 21.75% 25.18% 9.10% 5.11%
MSCI All Country Asia Pacific Index (GBP)
5.50% -6.45% -0.28% 16.36% 15.12% -7.86% 20.61% 25.50% 4.01% 6.53%
Matthews Asia Dividend Fund (EUR)
1.35% -25.73% 6.39% 20.20% 13.02% -8.85% n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.
MSCI All Country Asia Pacific Index (EUR)
8.02% -11.47% 6.31% 10.15% 21.94% -8.88% n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.
For the period ended 30/09/2024
Name 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 Inception Date
Matthews Asia Dividend Fund (USD)
25.69% 3.67% -34.52% 15.32% 21.60% 30/04/2010
MSCI All Country Asia Pacific Index (USD)
27.26% 16.48% -27.49% 18.61% 11.55%
Matthews Asia Dividend Fund (GBP)
14.98% -6.67% -20.17% 9.90% 16.75% 28/02/2011
MSCI All Country Asia Pacific Index (GBP)
15.80% 6.53% -12.41% 13.72% 6.33%
Matthews Asia Dividend Fund (EUR)
18.86% -4.61% -22.24% 16.65% 13.27% 15/05/2017
MSCI All Country Asia Pacific Index (EUR)
20.72% 7.78% -14.21% 20.01% 3.71%

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.

Yield

(as of 30/11/2024)
2.98% Dividend Yield

Source: FactSet Research Systems, Bloomberg, Matthews Asia

Portfolio Characteristics

(as of 30/11/2024)
Fund Benchmark
Number of Positions 50 1,304
Weighted Average Market Cap $111.8 billion $123.0 billion
Active Share 81.4 n.a.
P/E using FY1 estimates 15.5x 14.4x
P/E using FY2 estimates 13.9x 13.2x
Price/Cash Flow 10.1 9.5
Price/Book 2.1 1.7
Return On Equity 16.2 14.1
EPS Growth (3 Yr) 9.7% 10.2%

Sources: Factset Research Systems, Inc.

Risk Metrics (3 Yr Return)

(as of 30/11/2024)
-8.61%
Alpha
0.94
Beta
81.06%
Upside Capture
119.52%
Downside Capture
-0.65
Sharpe Ratio
-1.63
Information Ratio
5.34%
Tracking Error
90.35

Fund Risk Metrics are reflective of Class I USD ACC shares.

Sources: Zephyr StyleADVISOR

Top 10 Holdings

(as of 30/11/2024)
Name Sector Country % Net Assets
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Information Technology Taiwan 5.8
Tencent Holdings, Ltd. Communication Services China/Hong Kong 4.0
HDFC Bank, Ltd. Financials India 3.8
ITOCHU Corp. Industrials Japan 3.3
AIA Group, Ltd. Financials China/Hong Kong 3.0
ORIX Corp. Financials Japan 2.5
Tata Consultancy Services, Ltd. Information Technology India 2.5
Tokio Marine Holdings, Inc. Financials Japan 2.4
Suzuki Motor Corp. Consumer Discretionary Japan 2.3
JD.com, Inc. Consumer Discretionary China/Hong Kong 2.3
TOTAL 31.9

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 30/11/2024)
  • Sector Allocation
  • Country Allocation
  • Asset Type Breakdown
  • Market Cap Exposure
Sector Fund Benchmark Difference
Financials 20.3 22.1 -1.8
Information Technology 16.0 19.7 -3.7
Consumer Discretionary 14.4 14.4 0.0
Industrials 11.3 12.4 -1.1
Communication Services 9.7 8.4 1.3
Real Estate 7.1 2.7 4.4
Consumer Staples 6.9 4.5 2.4
Health Care 5.7 5.8 -0.1
Utilities 3.4 2.1 1.3
Materials 1.8 5.5 -3.7
Energy 1.7 2.6 -0.9
Cash and Other Assets, Less Liabilities 2.0 0.0 2.0

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

Country Fund Benchmark Difference
Japan 30.3 31.6 -1.3
China/Hong Kong 25.2 20.2 5.0
Australia 10.6 10.9 -0.3
India 9.8 12.9 -3.1
Taiwan 9.2 12.2 -3.0
South Korea 6.4 6.3 0.1
Singapore 3.3 2.3 1.0
Thailand 1.7 1.0 0.7
Indonesia 1.5 1.0 0.5
Malaysia 0.0 1.0 -1.0
New Zealand 0.0 0.3 -0.3
Philippines 0.0 0.3 -0.3
Macau 0.0 0.1 -0.1
Cash and Other Assets, Less Liabilities 2.0 0.0 2.0

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

Asset Type Fund
Common Equities and ADRs 96.4
Unit 1.6
Cash and Other Assets, Less Liabilities 2.0
Equity market cap of issuer Fund Benchmark Difference
Mega Cap (over $25B) 57.8 65.2 -7.4
Large Cap ($10B-$25B) 10.1 21.5 -11.4
Mid Cap ($3B-$10B) 15.2 13.1 2.1
Small Cap (under $3B) 15.0 0.3 14.7
Cash and Other Assets, Less Liabilities 2.0 0.0 2.0

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.

ESG Characteristics

(as of 30/09/2024)
  • Business Involvement
  • Sustainability Attributes
Name Fund Benchmark Difference
Controversial Weapons
Fund Coverage: 100% Benchmark Coverage: 100%
0.0 0.6 -0.6
Tobacco
Fund Coverage: 100% Benchmark Coverage: 99%
0.0 0.5 -0.5
Name Fund Benchmark Difference
UN Global Compact Violators
Fund Coverage: 100% Benchmark Coverage: 100%
0.0 1.7 -1.7
Board Diversity
Fund Coverage: 100% Benchmark Coverage: 100%
24.2 22.5 1.7

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: 100%; Benchmark Coverage: 99% 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.

Ratings

  • OVERALL
  • 3 YEAR
  • 5 YEAR
  • 10 YEAR

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. High ratings and rankings does not assure favorable performance.

Overall Morningstar RatingTM is reflective of the noted share class. Fund ratings represent an opinion only and are not a recommendation to buy or sell any fund. Copyright ©2023 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar and/or its content providers; (2) may not be copied or distributed; and (3) is provided for reference purposes only.

The Overall Morningstar®️ Rating for a fund is derived from a weighted-average of the performance figures associated with its three-, five- and (if applicable) ten-year ratings.

Morningstar RatingTM for funds, or "star rating", is calculated for managed products (including mutual funds, variable annuity and variable life subaccounts, exchange-traded funds, closed-end funds, and separate accounts) with at least a three-year history. Exchange-traded funds and open-ended mutual funds are considered a single population for comparative purposes. It is calculated based on a Morningstar Risk-Adjusted Return measure that accounts for variation in a managed product's monthly excess performance, placing more emphasis on downward variations and rewarding consistent performance. The Morningstar Rating does not include any adjustment for sales loads. The top 10% of products in each product category receive 5 stars, the next 22.5% receive 4 stars, the next 35% receive 3 stars, the next 22.5% receive 2 stars, and the bottom 10% receive 1 star. The Overall Morningstar Rating for a managed product is derived from a weighted average of the performance figures associated with its three-, five-, and 10-year (if applicable) Morningstar Rating metrics. The weights are: 100% three-year rating for 36-59 months of total returns, 60% five-year rating/40% three-year rating for 60-119 months of total returns, and 50% 10-year rating/30% five-year rating/20% three-year rating for 120 or more months of total returns. While the 10-year overall star rating formula seems to give the most weight to the 10-year period, the most recent three-year period actually has the greatest impact because it is included in all three rating periods.

Portfolio Managers

Kenneth  Lowe, CFA photo
Kenneth Lowe, CFA

Lead Manager

Elli  Lee photo
Elli Lee

Co-Manager

Siddharth  Bhargava photo
Siddharth Bhargava

Co-Manager

Winnie  Chwang photo
Winnie Chwang

Co-Manager

Donghoon  Han photo
Donghoon Han

Co-Manager

Commentary

Period ended 30 September 2024

Market Environment

  • The last quarter witnessed a significant rally in the final few weeks of September as China unveiled meaningful monetary stimulus. This included measures such as cutting rates, reducing reserve ratio requirements, efforts to bolster the stock market and multiple initiatives to support the property market. Added to this was a new focus by China’s leadership on hitting growth targets and the possibility of larger fiscal support.
  • Elsewhere, most other markets gained with Southeast Asia delivering double digit returns. This was likely aided by the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates by 50 basis points (0.5%), its first cut in more than four years.
  • Japan’s market experienced sharp volatility in August triggered by the Bank of Japan’s decision to raise interest rates and a surge in the value of the yen as well as concerns over the U.S. economy. Still, equities were supported by robust earnings growth, dividends and stock buybacks.
  • South Korea was the weakest market in the region with semiconductor stocks particularly soft. Fellow technology-heavy hub Taiwan also failed to keep pace with the benchmark despite the potential growth opportunities that artificial intelligence (AI)-linked segments offer, in part as prior performance had been strong and as questions arose over valuations.

Contributors and Detractors

  • For the quarter ended September 30, 2024, the Asia Dividend Fund returned 12.46% (I Acc USD), while its benchmark, the MSCI All Country Asia Pacific Index, returned 9.16% over the same period.
  • On a country basis, the top three contributors to relative performance were Japan due to stock selection, China/Hong Kong due to an overweight allocation and Taiwan due to stock selection. The top three detractors were Australia due to stock selection, Malaysia and the Philippines due to zero allocation.
  • On a sector basis, the top three contributors to relative performance were consumer discretionary, information technology (IT) and consumer staples due to stock selection. The top three detractors were financials due to stock selection, health care and materials due to an underweight allocation.
  • The largest contributors to absolute performance included JD.com, a leading e-commerce platform in China, Yum China Holdings, a Chinese operator of fast-food chains and AIA Group, a pan-Asian life insurer. The top three detractors included Samsung Electronics, a South Korean semiconductor and consumer electronics maker, Yuexiu Transport Infrastructure, a Chinese infrastructure company, and Disco, a Japanese semiconductor equipment manufacturer.

Outlook

  • U.S. economic data appears to be robust and suggests that, for now, a recession is unlikely to be imminent. It’s also evident that inflationary pressures have eased and this should allow the Fed to continue to reduce rates. A soft landing or no landing accompanied by declining rates may create a solid backdrop for emerging markets, including parts of Asia, to perform.
  • China seems to be at least acknowledging and potentially addressing some of its challenges including within the property market. We believe other major markets, such as India, remain well supported economically, given demographics, potential productivity growth and scope for continued CapEx. In Japan, Shigeru Ishiba’s surprise victory in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s leadership contest and decision to hold an early election in October may add macro uncertainty but we believe Japanese equities are in relatively good health.
  • Large benchmark constituents such as India and Taiwan are trading at higher multiples than their long-term averages. This leaves earnings delivery as key for returns in these markets.

 

Rolling 12 Month Returns For the period ended 30/09/2024 - I (Acc)
Name 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 Inception Date
Matthews Asia Dividend Fund (USD)
25.69% 3.67% -34.52% 15.32% 21.60% 30/04/2010
MSCI All Country Asia Pacific Index (USD)
27.26% 16.48% -27.49% 18.61% 11.55%
Matthews Asia Dividend Fund (GBP)
14.98% -6.67% -20.17% 9.90% 16.75% 28/02/2011
MSCI All Country Asia Pacific Index (GBP)
15.80% 6.53% -12.41% 13.72% 6.33%
Matthews Asia Dividend Fund (EUR)
18.86% -4.61% -22.24% 16.65% 13.27% 15/05/2017
MSCI All Country Asia Pacific Index (EUR)
20.72% 7.78% -14.21% 20.01% 3.71%

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