China stocks in crisis: an overview

SARS-CoV2 got its start in China. Economic effects were felt here first. How did China stocks perform during the crisis? The performance of the Hang Seng or SSE Composite Index only reflects the general trend. How well or badly sectors and Chinese stocks come through the viral crisis can only be seen in a detailed look.

 

Not all China stocks have collapsed

Massive price drops and parallels reminiscent of Black Thursday 1929 have dominated the headlines for weeks. Many consumers and small investors have been left with the feeling that all stocks are in free fall, unchecked. Looking back, one thing has become abundantly clear: There are losers and winners in the SARS-CoV2 crisis. Among others, carmakers and industry have been hit hard by the crisis.

China has closed factories and imposed strict quarantine measures in response to the spreading virus. On the other hand, IT giants are on the winning side. One example is the Alibaba share. Among the China stocks, the security is one of those that even posted a price gain in the 6-month period. Between November 2019 and the end of May 2020, the value per Alibaba share climbed from 172 euros to over 190 euros.

Tencent's stock market performance was even more pronounced. The price for the security was unimpressed by the rapid slump at the end of January. While the value of other China stocks was literally pulverised under the impact of the (initial) epidemic, only a small "dent" can be seen in the historical Tencent prices. It was not until mid-March that the share price began to decline noticeably. By the end of May 2020, Tencent had risen again by more than 20 percent.

Tencent shares & the corona virus

Tencent is rather unknown in Europe - except to analysts and IT experts. In China, Tencent Holdings Ltd. is one of the most important internet companies. It operates IT and communication solutions. Among them are online communities, social media platforms and gaming platforms. The company is particularly strong in:

• Epic Games
• Grinding Gear Games
• Supercell
• Riot Games 

and holds 100 per cent of the shares in some brands. Tencent is fully committed to digital value creation.

The holding company's shares are listed on the Hang Seng. In terms of performance, the share price according to Exness broker has largely decoupled from the index. Until 17 January, the performance was parallel, with the Hang Seng and Tencent shares rising. The subsequent development is fundamentally different. While the stock index loses significant ground under the impact of the dynamic pandemic development, the China share of Tencent undergoes a different development.

Over the first two decades of February, the share was largely unimpressed - and more than made up for the losses from January. Then, in the first half of March, a dramatic slump. Starting on 26 February until mid-March, the Chinese share fell from more than 47 euros to around 38 euros. The Hang Seng experienced a similarly strong downward trend. Investors had to live with losses of about 20 percent during this phase.

But while the stock index was able to recover about half of its losses, the Tencent share managed the feat of recovering completely. Within two months, the security had set the price in mid-February and is in any case one of the Chinese stocks with potential. The Tencent share set its preliminary high for the year in mid-May 2020 at more than 53 euros.