Sept 16 - AmInvestment Bank Group is betting on China's defensive consumer sector as retail sales have stayed strong amid the economic downturn but has turned wary on the property sector after an impressive run, its equity funds management head said on Wednesday.
"Retail sales are so strong in China, so we're very overweight on the consumer sector," Andrew Wong, who helps oversee assets worth $5.01 billion as AmInvestment's chief investment officer for equity asset allocation, told Reuters.
The fund manager, part of the AmBank Group, manages $5.01 billion.
Some of the fund manager's Chinese stock holdings are personal hygiene producer Hengan International, fashion retailer Esprit Holdings and sportswear retailer Li Ning.
Apart from China, AmInvestment is also overweight on Thailand and Korea but believes that investors should wait for cheaper entry opportunities when volumes are low and volatility is high.
India and Indonesia have been the best performing markets in the region, with more stocks trading almost at their peaks than other countries based on a 12-24 months price performance basis, said Wong.
"We're not uncomfortable with these two countries but it's a valuation call," he said.
Indonesia's benchmark stock index has risen 69.5 percent this year, and India's benchmark has jumped 72 percent. Both are nearly twice the 38.3 percent rise in Malaysia's benchmark index. India's information technology and some construction companies like Larsen & Toubro, and Indonesia's Astra International and banks are already trading at above pre-crisis levels, said Wong.
In Malaysia where it has a neutral rating, the fund manager has "decent exposure" to rubber glove maker Top Glove , retailer Parkson, construction company Gamuda and toll road operator PLUS.
"We have truckloads of CIMB and we're not going to sell. We're also holding onto our positions in plantations," said Wong.
But the fund manager is underweight on Maybank, Malaysia largest lender, as it believes there are better attractions elsewhere.
AmInvestment's positive stance for markets in Asia ex-Japan carries risk because valuations are no longer cheap and earnings upgrades may be peaking in 2010, said Wong.
"Markets to us are more likely to be up than down over the next 12 months, but there will be a lot of near term trading because volumes are low and volatility will be a shade higher," he said.
China's stock market performance needs to be monitored because Shanghai appears to have overtaken Wall Street to become a "very important leading indicator", said Wong.