Global hedge funds have increased their holdings of Chinese stocks for the fourth consecutive week, joining a wave of investors hoping for a market rebound.
China’s stock market, which had been under pressure, has rallied since February as Beijing introduced measures to tackle economic challenges and as macroeconomic data pointed to signs of recovery.
According to a note from Goldman Sachs, global hedge funds have purchased Chinese stocks in seven of the past eight weeks. The report did not disclose the purchase amounts.
Chinese equities have outperformed major global markets this year, with Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rising by a third since its January low. The MSCI China index has gained 16% year-to-date.
Goldman Sachs on Monday raised its price targets for both the MSCI China and China's blue-chip CSI 300 Index.
In a separate note from last week, the Wall Street giant indicated that some hedge fund investors are betting on the rally by purchasing call options to capitalize on potential gains.
"The combination of decade-low allocations to China from both hedge- and long-only mandates and the blistering pace of the recovery has caught investors off-guard in the past months," analysts wrote.
"The resulting performance pressures may have incentivized investors to close underweight gaps or raise exposures in Chinese stocks, likely reinforcing and fueling the upturn as the positive spiral takes hold."
In an effort to restore market confidence, China last week initiated the issuance of 1 trillion yuan ($138 billion) in stimulus bonds and announced a series of measures to support the struggling housing market.