China’s $941bn sovereign wealth fund looks for resilient assets amid Covid-19

The fund increased holdings in healthcare and information technology stocks to diversify its investments to weather the crisis

China's wealth fund CIC is finetuning its investment strategies to weather the coronavirus pandemic. AFP 

China Investment Corporation is looking for more resilient assets in markets battered by the coronavirus pandemic as the nation’s $941 billion (Dh3.4 trillion) sovereign wealth fund seeks to boost long-term returns, executive vice president Zhao Haiying said.

The Beijing-based company added to its investments in credit markets in recent months, especially investment-grade loans in the US, after the Federal Reserve eased a liquidity crunch, Ms Zhao said on Saturday. CIC, as the fund is known, also bolstered holdings in healthcare and information technology stocks, and added exposure in regions such as Asia, where there was “less uncertainty” about the spread of the virus, she said.

CIC, led by chairman Peng Chun, is fine-tuning its investment strategies. It thinks a diversified portfolio is the best way to weather its biggest test since inception in 2007. A plan to boost alternative and direct investments to 50 per cent of global assets by the end of 2022 remains unchanged, with the private portfolio – which includes real estate and private equity – avoiding any “serious damage” even as cash flows slow, Ms Zhao said.

“As a long-term investor, we want to invest in growth,” Ms Zhao said in Beijing. “Given the many external shocks, you need to be more focused on the more resilient areas, strategies and themes, and avoid fragile areas.”

CIC’s overseas investments returned about 17 per cent last year based on unaudited results, she said, as global stocks rallied. That comes close to a record 17.6 per cent gain in 2017 and reverses a loss in 2018, when equities tumbled.

The pandemic and the collapse in global oil markets have caused more serious disruptions to other sovereign wealth funds. Norway, for example, is planning to draw a record 382bn kroner ($38.2bn) from its wealth fund, forcing the world’s largest sovereign investor to embark on a historic asset sale to generate cash.

While the steep declines in global equity markets earlier in the year made stocks the hardest hit asset class for many investors, there has since been a “very good rebound”, Ms Zhao said. Fixed-income investments helped mitigate volatility in equities, and CIC’s hedge fund allocations, among the world’s largest, also played a “positive role” in absorbing the market impact.

Ms Zhao said the situation is less stable in emerging markets. She called for more cooperation among governments and cautioned against policy missteps, citing rising geopolitical tensions and long-term issues like debt burdens.

“The liquidity crisis may be over and the darkest may be behind us,” she said. “But we must be very careful to avoid going back to the ICU.”