How to Gain Access to the Fast-Growing Chinese Technology Companies Through the Hang Seng TECH Index

Looking to invest in FAANG stocks of the East? The answer for a Nasdaq-like index for Hong Kong with a focus on technology companies has finally arrived.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Indexes launched the Hang Seng TECH Index in July.

Following its launch, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that track the index have also cropped up so that investors can gain exposure to the high-growth Chinese tech companies.

Right now, let’s explore what the new index is all about and the options available for investors to easily diversify their portfolio.

A few days ago, OCBC announced that Singapore investors can get easier access to the index. Find out more about that here too!

TL;DR: Hang Seng TECH Index And Related ETFs

Here’s a summary of the article:

• The Hang Seng TECH Index comprises the 30 largest technology companies listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange.
• Some of the index components include companies such as Lenovo Group, NetEase, and Xiaomi.
• One cannot invest directly in an index. However, there are four ETFs tracking the Hang Seng TECH Index that investors can buy into.

What’s the Hang Seng TECH Index About?

The Hang Seng TECH Index was launched on 27 July 2020.

And it tracks 30 of the biggest technology growth companies listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong.

Those companies must be part of the industrials, consumer discretionary, healthcare, financials, or information technology sector.

They must also have high business exposure to technology themes such as the internet (including mobile), fintech, cloud computing, e-commerce, or digital.

Other than the requirement above to be eligible, it must also meet at least one of the following criteria:

• It must be a technology-enabled business (e.g. via internet/mobile platform); or
• Have a research and development (R&D) expense to revenue ratio of more than or equal to 5%; or
• Possess year-on-year revenue more than or equal to 10%.

Only companies incorporated in Greater China (mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan) and listed on the main board of the Hong Kong stock exchange will be eligible for selection.

The index is weighted by free-float market capitalisation, which refers to a company’s total number of outstanding shares that can be publicly traded multiplied by its share price. The companies with the greatest market capitalisations will have the highest weights in the index.

Index components will be reviewed and rebalanced every quarter (data cut-off occurs end of March, June, September, and December).

Based on back-tested performance over the past five years (as of 31 August 2020), the Hang Seng TECH Index would have posted a gain of 155% versus the Hang Seng Composite Index’s (similar to Singapore’s Straits Times Index) increase of just 16%.

What Are the Companies Part of the Hang Seng TECH Index?

Some of the companies from the index include well-known names like Alibaba, Tencent, Meituan Dianping, JD.com, and Xiaomi.

Here’s a full list of the 30 components of the Hang Seng TECH Index and their respective weights:

Source: Hang Seng Indexes (as of 31 August 2020)

How Can Investors Invest in Hang Seng TECH Index?

One cannot invest directly in an index. However, there are ETFs tracking the Hang Seng TECH Index that investors can invest in.

Below is a table showing the various ETFs that investors can choose from:

Source: Stock Exchange of Hong Kong

Soon, Singapore investors can have easier access to the Hang Seng TECH Index via Singapore Exchange (SGX).

Lion Global Investors, a member of Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited (SGX: O39), will be listing an ETF — Lion-OCBC Securities Hang Seng TECH ETF — tracking the tech-focused index.

The initial offering period runs from 23 November to 7 December, and the target listing date on the local stock market is 10 December.

There are low barriers to entry as investors can trade as few as 10 units. The ETF will be available in both Singapore and US dollars.

Here are important details of Lion-OCBC Securities Hang Seng TECH ETF:

Source: Lion Global Investors

Lion-OCBC Securities Hang Seng TECH ETF is an Excluded Investment Product (EIP). Therefore, investors do not have to specifically qualify to trade it, unlike a Specified Investment Product (SIP).

Another plus point is that local investors can use their Supplementary Retirement Scheme (SRS) to invest in Lion-OCBC Securities Hang Seng TECH ETF.

To know the latest index holdings and understand the risks involved with each ETF, you should refer to the ETF’s website.

For example, the iShares Hang Seng TECH ETF uses a representative sampling investment strategy that can result in a greater tracking error than a full replication investment strategy (used in STI ETFs).

Is Hang Seng TECH Index ETF for You?

If you would like to diversify your portfolio into fast-growing Chinese tech companies, the Hang Seng TECH Index ETF could be it.

However, do note that since the index components are growth companies, the index doesn’t trade at a low valuation.

As of 17 July 2020, the Hang Seng TECH Index had a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 45x while the Hang Seng Composite Index’s P/E ratio stood at just 12x.

Investors should be comfortable paying a higher-than-normal valuation to invest in the fast-growing Chinese tech companies.

If you choose to go for the iShares Hang Seng TECH ETF due to its low expense ratio, you should also be satisfied with the ETF possibly using financial derivatives such as futures contracts and options to achieve its investment objective.

(P.S. Don’t have a brokerage account to invest in the Hong Kong-listed ETFs? Do check out the best brokers backed by real user reviews if you wish to open an account!)

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Disclaimer: The information provided by Seedly serves as an educational piece and is not intended to be personalised investment advice. ​Readers should always do their own due diligence and consider their financial goals before investing in any stock.