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Tencent's Terrible Quarter Spells More Pain for Emerging Funds

Tencent's Terrible Quarter Spells More Pain for Emerging Funds

(Bloomberg) -- Tencent Holdings Ltd. is turning into a serious drag for emerging-market investors.

The stock has tumbled 18 percent since June, its worst performance relative to an index of global technology companies since it started trading in 2004. The biggest stock in Asia -- and one which 48 analysts recommend buying -- extended its decline Friday even as the MSCI World Information Technology Index headed for its seventh consecutive quarterly gain.

Tencent's Terrible Quarter Spells More Pain for Emerging Funds

Tencent’s fall from grace has turned it into the world’s most disappointing stock trade this year, contributing to almost half of the Hang Seng Index’s decline in the third quarter. Because of its size and rally in 2017, it features in more than half of all emerging-market equity portfolios, and those who own it have an average 5.2 percent exposure, according to eVestment data as of June. That makes Tencent their largest position, the data show.

The Chinese company’s shares were weighed down by its first profit drop in at least a decade, revoked licenses and a significant regulatory wall in the country.

One potential beneficiary of outflows from Tencent is Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., which has the second-largest weighting on MSCI’s emerging market index. The chipmaker surged 21 percent in its best quarter since 2003.

To contact the reporter on this story: Sofia Horta e Costa in Hong Kong at shortaecosta@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Richard Frost at rfrost4@bloomberg.net, Kana Nishizawa

©2018 Bloomberg L.P.