13 March 2026
The annual meeting of Chinese mainland’s National People’s Congress (NPC) is concluding this week. The China equity team shares its latest views on key policy developments and analyses the main growth engines supporting high‑quality growth.
In terms of fiscal and monetary policies, the announcement for the Chinese mainland’s 15th Five-Year Plan is largely in line with our expectations. Despite a lower GDP growth target (between 4.5%-5%), the Chinese mainland has been very proactive in rolling out fiscal policies since the beginning of 2026 – e.g., announcing infrastructure projects and consumption programs year-to-date. Also, the Chinese mainland is looking to boost domestic demand, with a keen focus on domestic consumption, technology advancement and advanced manufacturing.
Fed hikes rates for first time since 2023 as expected
Today’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) decision and press conference went smoothly—a welcome development, in our judgment, after the mixed signals that emerged from the Fed’s July meeting. The rate decision: A 25 basis-point (bps) hike, bringing the federal funds rate from 3.75% to 4.00%.
Beyond AI hype: How Manulife Global Multi Asset Diversified Income Fund (GMADI) evaluates long-term equity opportunities
AI continues to create potential investment opportunities, but we believe not every AI-related company will become a long-term winner. Rather than maximising exposure to the theme, the Manulife Global Fund - Global Multi-Asset Diversified Income Fund takes a selective and valuation-aware approach. In this investment note, we discuss the three characteristics we look for when identifying long-term winners and how these principles are reflected in the Fund's equity sleeve which currently maintains a constructive view on sectors such as communication services, healthcare, consumer staples and energy. This positioning reflects our bottom-up conviction in individual businesses whose long-term fundamentals, cash flow characteristics and valuations are viewed favourably by the investment team.
Asia High Yield has reached new highs; what’s next?
Asia High Yield (HY) bonds, known for providing an attractive source of income, present a very different opportunity set today compared to the pre-pandemic era. As discussed in our investment note from nearly a year ago, the asset class is no longer dominated by Chinese Mainland property developers. Instead, it has become more diversified, with investment opportunities spanning multiple areas, such as financial institutions, gaming operators, infrastructure providers, and selected frontier markets.
Fed hikes rates for first time since 2023 as expected
Today’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) decision and press conference went smoothly—a welcome development, in our judgment, after the mixed signals that emerged from the Fed’s July meeting. The rate decision: A 25 basis-point (bps) hike, bringing the federal funds rate from 3.75% to 4.00%.
Beyond AI hype: How Manulife Global Multi Asset Diversified Income Fund (GMADI) evaluates long-term equity opportunities
AI continues to create potential investment opportunities, but we believe not every AI-related company will become a long-term winner. Rather than maximising exposure to the theme, the Manulife Global Fund - Global Multi-Asset Diversified Income Fund takes a selective and valuation-aware approach. In this investment note, we discuss the three characteristics we look for when identifying long-term winners and how these principles are reflected in the Fund's equity sleeve which currently maintains a constructive view on sectors such as communication services, healthcare, consumer staples and energy. This positioning reflects our bottom-up conviction in individual businesses whose long-term fundamentals, cash flow characteristics and valuations are viewed favourably by the investment team.
Asia High Yield has reached new highs; what’s next?
Asia High Yield (HY) bonds, known for providing an attractive source of income, present a very different opportunity set today compared to the pre-pandemic era. As discussed in our investment note from nearly a year ago, the asset class is no longer dominated by Chinese Mainland property developers. Instead, it has become more diversified, with investment opportunities spanning multiple areas, such as financial institutions, gaming operators, infrastructure providers, and selected frontier markets.