webinars

From Theory to Practice: China as an Asset Class & EM Model Portfolios

December 07, 2021, 10:00 am - 11:00 am EST

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Event Details:

From Theory to Practice: China as an Asset Class & EM Model Portfolios:
December 07, 2021, 10:00 am - 11:00 am EST

2021 demonstrated the fact that China is a market like no other. China’s size, differentiated risk/return profile, and increasing international accessibility warrant its consideration as a standalone asset class. At MSCI, Wei Xu, Vice President of APAC Index Research and author of Foundations of Dedicated China Allocations, framed the MSCI Emerging Markets ex China Index as the bedrock by which investors can create standalone China allocations. At KraneShares, we have dedicated extensive research and focus on how the China component should look. This underlying research powers our flagship Krane Dynamic Emerging Markets Strategy, which we launched two years ago as a comprehensive, standalone emerging market portfolio.

In this webinar, Wei Xu from MSCI joins portfolio managers Jonathan Shelon and Anthony Sassine from KraneShares to discuss the theory behind China as an asset class and how to put it into practice.

Key topics will include:

  • Why China should be considered its own asset class
  • Future growth drivers in China’s economy
  • Constructing a potentially superior emerging market portfolio by treating China as a standalone asset class.

Featured Presenters

Wei Xu
Vice President of APAC Index Research at MSCI

Wei Xu focuses on China research, thematic investing, and asset allocation as part of MSCI’s Index Solutions Research team. He previously served as a portfolio manager in China Investment Corp.’s asset-allocation department.

Wei holds a master’s degree in finance from the University of Hong Kong and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Toronto. He holds the GARP designation of financial risk manager.

Jonathan Shelon, CFA
Portfolio Manager and Chief Operating Officer

Jonathan Shelon is the Chief Operating Officer at KraneShares and joined the firm in 2015. Jonathan has extensive experience in managing investment portfolios and diverse teams at leading asset management organizations.

Prior to Krane, Jonathan was the Chief Investment Officer of the Specialized Strategies Team at J.P. Morgan, overseeing $40 billion in AUM. Prior to joining J.P. Morgan, Jonathan was a portfolio manager at Fidelity Investments where he was responsible for $150 billion in assets for over five million shareholders in Fidelity’s target-date strategies, the Freedom Funds. Before Fidelity, Jonathan was a quantitative consultant in the Capital Markets Research Group of Callan Associates where he developed strategic investment plans for institutional clients.

Jonathan received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in actuarial science from the Fox School of Business and Management at Temple University, and is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and Chartered Financial Analyst charter holder.

Anthony Sassine
Portfolio Manager and Senior Investment Strategist

Anthony Sassine joined KraneShares in 2019 as a Senior Investment Strategist. Anthony is responsible for conducting research and market analysis on China’s capital markets, supporting clients, and advising on asset allocation and model portfolios.

Prior to joining KraneShares, Anthony spent eight years at Van Eck and Pinebridge as a product strategist focusing on emerging markets equity and debt. At Van Eck, Anthony oversaw the growth of the firm’s emerging markets active business and helped grow the emerging markets equity fund from $250 million to $3 billion. His responsibilities then and now include asset class research, competitive analysis, portfolio analysis, and advising clients on building emerging markets exposures.

Anthony began his career in investment consulting with NEPC (formerly New England Pension Consultants) and Colonial Consulting. During this time Anthony partnered with consultants on servicing institutional clients and assisting with asset allocation, manager selection, and portfolio analysis. Anthony holds a Master’s Degree in Finance from New York University (NYU) and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). Anthony is a CFA charter holder.