5 Chinese Stocks to Avoid Amid Economic Slowdown

2. JD.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:JD)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 62    

JD.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:JD) provides supply chain-based technologies and services in China. In late August, news agency Reuters reported that the company was among the first batch of Chinese tech giants that the US would target in a bid to gain access to the accounting records of the firm. The move comes after the US government introduced new laws that require Chinese firms trading in the US to comply with certain transparency standards that they had not been following previously. The company is on the list of Chinese stocks to avoid amid economic slowdown as investors turn towards value stocks. 

On September 12, Susquehanna analyst Shyam Patil maintained a Neutral rating on JD.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:JD) stock and increased the price target to $62 from $55, noting that the second quarter earnings of the firm were solid despite macro headwinds. 

At the end of the second quarter of 2022, 62 hedge funds in the database of Insider Monkey held stakes worth $5.5 billion in JD.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:JD), compared to 59 in the previous quarter worth $5.4 billion.

In its Q3 2021 investor letter, Argosy Investors, an asset management firm, highlighted a few stocks and JD.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:JD) was one of them. Here is what the fund said:

“We sold JD.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:JD) as a result of the furor over Chinese stocks during the quarter. We had been concerned about China’s lack of respect for investor rights for some time, and Beijing has become significantly more aggressive in asserting itself of late. In addition, the legal structure Chinese companies use to come public in the U.S., a Cayman Islands shell corporation leaves American investors with an unsure path to recovering value should these companies cease to trade on U.S. exchanges. Because of the uncertainty, we exited our position in JD completely. We still love JD’s long-term prospects, but we cannot estimate the legal/regulatory risk associated with these companies anymore. More broadly, we are freeing up cash for some other positions we already own which have declined in this market, and after additional review, remain attractive.”