MutualFunds.com analyzes the search patterns of our visitors every two weeks to find the top trending funds. By sharing these trends with our readers, we hope to provide insights into what the financial world is concerned about and how to position your portfolio.

First, we select the top trending category from more than 200 categories listed on MutualFunds.com based on the percentage increase in monthly viewership. From the top trending category, we select the top three funds with the highest one-year trailing total returns. To ensure the quality and staying power of funds, we only look at those mutual funds with a minimum of $250 million in assets and a track record of at least three years. We also remove those mutual funds that are closed to new investors and are not available for investment outside registered accounts such as retirement or 529 accounts.

In this week’s edition, we analyze the top three China funds. These funds are region-specific to China and invest in both common stocks and bonds from a range of market sectors and contain a mixture of securities with different market capitalizations. Typically, these funds specialize in equity and bond investments that are issued from China and/or regions such as Hong Kong or Macau. At least 80% of assets are invested in Chinese stocks and/or bonds.

Our breakdown of each fund includes key aspects such as one-year performance, fund expenses, investment style, and management teams to give you an overview of how these funds hold up against their peers.

Be sure to check out the China Funds page to find out more about the other funds in this category as well.

The top three funds in this category are broken down further below.

1. Matthews China Small Companies Fund (MCSMX)

This week’s top mutual fund is the China Small Companies Fund, MCSMX, offered through Matthews Asia Funds. It comes with an astronomical trailing one-year total return of 83.75%. The fund’s gross expense ratio of 1.62% makes it the most expensive fund on our list, but is also countered by one of the best one-year and five-year performances as well.

The investment objective of the fund is to invest at least 80% of its assets in small-cap stocks and preferred stocks in the Asia ex-Japan market region. The fund selects stocks with a market cap of $5 billion or less and has long-term growth potential. It is benchmarked to the MSCI All Country Asia ex-Japan Small Cap Index.

Tiffany Hsiao, CFA, is the fund’s lead portfolio manager and is supported by YuanYuan Ji.

The fund’s top five holdings are listed as Kingdee International Software Group, Silergy Corp, China Youzan, Ltd., Jiajiayue Group Co Ltd and Zai Lab, Ltd.. The portfolio contains 58 holdings with nearly 90% in stocks and the remaining in cash.

Learn more about different Portfolio Management concepts here.

2. Fidelity China Region Fund (FHKCX)

The second fund on our list this week is offered through Fidelity. The China Region Fund, FHKCX, comes with an outstanding trailing one-year total return of 37.50%. The relatively low expense ratio of 0.95% makes it one of the cheapest funds on our list.

The investment objective of the fund is stated as investing in at “least 80% of assets in securities of Hong Kong, Taiwanese, and Chinese issuers and other investments that are tied economically to the China region.” It invests up to 35% of its total assets in any industry that derives more than 20% of its income from the Hong Kong, Taiwanese and Chinese market. It is benchmarked to the MSCI Golden Dragon Index.

Stephen Lieu and Ivan Xie have been managing the fund since April of 2018.

The top five holdings in the fund’s portfolio are listed as China Mobile, Tencent holdings, China Construction Bank, China Life Insurance and Alibaba Group Holding ADR. The five largest sectors by weight are financials, communication services, consumer discretionary, energy and industrials.

Find out the funds suitable for your portfolio by using our free Screener.

3. Matthews China Investor Fund (MCHFX)

The final fund on our list is another one offered by Matthews Asia Funds. The China Investor Fund, MCHFX, comes with a trailing one-year total return of 35.26%. The fund comes with a 1.09% expense ratio.

The investment strategy of the fund is to select common and preferred stocks that derive at least 50% of their income from China, Hong Kong or Taiwan. It uses the MSCI China Index as its benchmark portfolio.

The fund’s lead portfolio manager is Andrew Mattock, CFA. The fund is co-managed by Winnie Chwang.

The top five holdings in the fund’s portfolio are Tencent Holdings Ltd, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd , JD.com , China Construction Bank Corp and China Merchants Bank Co.

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China Funds are ideal for investors who are looking for overseas diversification, especially with exposure to China. While these funds are often diverse when it comes to sector weights and market capitalization, the regional focus subjects these portfolios to foreign exchange and political risks.

Our expert analysis of the top three will give you the insight you need so you know what the best China fund is that fits your portfolio’s needs.

And don’t forget to visit our News section to catch up with the latest news about mutual fund performance.

Note: Data as of July 30, 2020