For the latest ETF industry news, please refer to our “Asia ETF Roundup (Industry) – February 2019”.
Major Markets Performance
Major equity markets generally continued on an upward trend in February with the US, the UK, Japan and Hong Kong market rising 2-3%. The China onshore markets were particularly strong in February (CSI 300 +14.6%; Shanghai Composite +13.8%). Mainland stocks surged following the news that the US had delayed a series of tariffs on Chinese goods that was scheduled to begin on 1 March. Emerging markets’ performance was mixed. Stocks in Vietnam performed well, rising 8.6%, while stocks in Brazil, Indonesia and Pakistan dropped by around 5% (as measured by their respective MSCI indices in US dollar terms).