In the last two decades, Asia has become a powerhouse of global growth. Demographics and digitalisation have fuelled economic and business expansion, and in 2020, this has played an important feature in the management of the COVID-19 crisis and the region’s resilient economy. Looking ahead to a post-pandemic world, we believe a new economic order will prevail, and Asia’s enduring role in driving global growth will continue.

There is so much that remains unknown about the longer-lasting impacts of COVID-19, but we don’t have to look very hard to see that Asia’s time has come

Paras Anand, Chief Investment Officer, Asia Pacific

It is already apparent that new winners will emerge as opportunities arise from dislocation and existing trends accelerate. Countries in Asia with younger populations and growing middle classes will have consumption tailwinds and offer some of the best growth opportunities, first in technology, and later in leisure and travel. Economies will shift from globalisation to regionalisation, and countries with large local regional populations will benefit.

For investors seeking long-term growth and diversification, the case for investing in Asia now is as strong as ever. However, with more volatility expected and an increasing bifurcation at a country, sector and company level of the winners and losers of the next decade, local expertise and a selective approach will be paramount.

By 2050, China, India and Indonesia are expected to take three of the top five spots in the Global economy by GDP.

Asia is home to 60% of the world’s population (4.5 billion)

How demographics and technology are driving growth

With more and more people being lifted out of poverty, income levels across Asia are also increasing. This rise in the middle-class population is expected to drive significant demand for goods and services in the region during the next three decades.²

Asian middle class spending if forecast to top US$35 trillion by 2030

As a region at the forefront of the technology industry, the digital revolution has brought even greater momentum to Asian economies. In the last 20 years, technology innovation has accounted for nearly a third of Asia’s per capita growth.³

‘Asian companies are exploiting recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, cryptography and Big Data that promise to reshape the global economy and fundamentally alter the way we live and work, in the same way that the steam engine and electricity did in centuries past,’ says Tahsin Saadi Sedik, Senior Economist in the International Monetary Fund’s Asia and Pacific Department. ‘In Asia, as elsewhere, the digital revolution is rippling across industries, from retailing and banking to manufacturing and transportation.’

Disruptive forces have accelerated growth

In 2020, the global lockdown from COVID-19 has accelerated demand for a variety of services and has broadly benefited companies with solid online propositions. Many of those companies reside in Asia, as do many stocks across the numerous sectors expected to benefit from the adoption of 5G technology.

In China, working from home has boosted the need for cloud services, which are in their infancy and ripe for expansion; mobile phone time surged to over five hours per day and time spent gaming on Tencent titles Honour of Kings and Game for Peace surged to two to three times the prior monthly run rate. With social distancing a feature in many countries for some time to come, this is likely to further accelerate these trends.

We expect this will put Asia at the forefront of the digital revolution and, with a large younger domestic population, at an advantage to lead the recovery and drive global economic growth.

Supply chain resilience

COVID-19 has also accelerated trends already developing across supply chains. In the short term, as trade and economic activity in the region recovers from its nadir earlier in the year, intra-Asian trade – which for most economies in Asia already represents most of their exports and imports – is accelerating. As industries and governments factor in the learnings of the pandemic, proximity will increasingly feature as a factor to overcome the friction of travel and transport in supply chains.

Over the long term, we believe the disruption of supply chains during the COVID-19 pandemic, along with geopolitical tensions, will drive a more regional approach to trade.

We expect to see the rise of regional economic centres where growing demand from large economies such as China or India fuel growth in other developing countries nearby. This shift in supply chains will benefit countries in Asia with large domestic economies, large neighbouring economies and rising middle classes.

An ever-changing economic landscape

At the stock and sector level, we’ve seen the rise of digital innovation in Asia, with Chinese internet giants Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent snapping at the heels of their FAANG (Facebook, Apple, Alphabet, Netflix, Google) counterparts in the US. But these large-cap players are just a part of the tech enterprise movement in Asia.

There has been a recent surge in new digital businesses that don’t yet feature in broad market indices. Investors looking to capitalise on tech innovation and growth in the region need to look beyond established stocks and indices.

Three of the MSCI AC Asia ex Japan top ten holdings come from the information technology sector (refer to Table 1, below), which speaks to the importance of this industry in the Asia growth story.

Are investors missing out on Asia?

Despite the strong economic and demographic trends in this region, Asian companies are under-represented in global equity indices. In the MSCI AC Asia (ex-Japan) Index, Asian stocks (excluding Japan) make up just 11.2% of the index.⁴

When you consider that indices like this are used as benchmarks, many investors can expect to be underweight in their allocation to Asian equities.

What kind of companies you can access?

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company – Leading the field in chip technology

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has been at the forefront of chip design since the early 1980s. Today, TSMC dominates the outsourced semiconductor industry and enjoys more than 50% market share. It supplies the world’s leading technology companies including the biggest brand of all – Apple. 2018 saw its seventh consecutive year of record revenue and an increase of 5.5% on the previous year. Its R&D investment in 2018 was US$2.8 billion, and it has an ongoing commitment to sustainability and corporate social responsibility.6

A consistent focus on developing a sophisticated and large-scale manufacturing capability has enabled the business to benefit from growing demand for its product. Providing chips for a wide range of devices has broadened its expertise, keeping it one step ahead of competitors in the race to release the next generation of chips. The company is well positioned to reap the benefits of new technology megatrends such as AI and 5G networks.

An active approach is needed

If you’re getting exposure to Asia via a market index dominated by commodity-based and industrial companies, you may be missing out on tomorrow’s growth drivers. Health care, consumer discretionary and services are under-represented in market-cap weighted indices, and much of the index is still laden with state-owned enterprises and ‘old economy’ companies.

“Asia’s large and younger population means it is extremely well placed to benefit from the opportunities driven by the pandemic, which will arise across health care, technology and insurance.”

Active managers, who are not beholden to the index, can capture these opportunities because they take a forward-looking approach to allocating capital and aim to invest in companies well positioned to benefit from the long-term structural developments.

Even before the impact of COVID-19, China’s health care industry was expected to be worth US$2.4 trillion by 2030.5 While health care in the US is the second-largest sector by market cap, it ranks only eighth in China, suggesting that the sector is still early in its development and is well poised to deliver strong future growth.

To find out more about Fidelity’s active approach to investing in Asia markets visit the website.

Fidelity International

 1. worldometers.info/population/countries-in-asia-by-population 2. The Brookings Institution, The Unprecedented Expansion of the Global Middle Class, 2017. 3. IMF Data, The Digital Revolution in Asia, April 2019. 4. Fidelity International/MSCI All Worlds Index, 31 July 2020. 5. China Daily, https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/life/2017-08/15/content_30638162.htm. 6. TSMC Annual Report 2018.

Important information: This document is issued by FIL Responsible Entity (Australia) Limited ABN 33 148 059 009, AFSL No. 409340 (‘Fidelity Australia’). Fidelity Australia is a member of the FIL Limited group of companies commonly known as Fidelity International. This document is intended for use by advisers and wholesale investors. Retail investors should not rely on any information in this document without first seeking advice from their financial adviser. All information is as at 31 August 2020 unless otherwise stated. This document has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider these matters before acting on the information. You also should consider the Product Disclosure Statements (‘PDS’) for respective Fidelity products before making a decision whether to acquire or hold the product. The relevant PDS can be obtained by contacting Fidelity Australia on 1800 119 270 or by downloading from our website at www.fidelity.com.au. Investments in overseas markets can be affected by currency exchange and this may affect the value of your investment. Investments in small and emerging markets can be more volatile than investments in developed markets. This document may include general commentary on market activity, sector trends or other broad-based economic or political conditions that should not be taken as investment advice. This material may contain statements that are ‘forward-looking statements’, which are based on certain assumptions of future events. Actual events may differ from those assumed. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements, including any projected returns, will materialise or that actual market conditions and/or performance results will not be materially different or worse than those presented. While the information contained in this document has been prepared with reasonable care, no responsibility or liability is accepted for any errors or omissions or misstatements however caused. Reference to specific securities should not be taken as recommendations and may not represent actual holdings in the portfolio at the time of this viewing. The issuer of Fidelity’s managed investment schemes is FIL Responsible Entity (Australia) Limited ABN 33 148 059 009. Details about Fidelity Australia’s provision of financial services to retail clients are set out in our Financial Services Guide, a copy of which can be downloaded from our website at www.fidelity.com.au. ©2020 FIL Responsible Entity (Australia) Limited. Fidelity, Fidelity International and the Fidelity International logo and F symbol are trademarks of FIL Limited.