

Core Insights - The Chinese public fund industry is at a new historical starting point in 2025, with a focus on the "fund hugging" phenomenon in the A-share market and the rise of "fixed income +" products as hidden drivers of the A-share market [1] Group 1: Fund Hugging Phenomenon - Over 400 active funds have seen net value increases exceeding 30% in the second half of this year, with significant overlap in their heavy holdings, indicating a reinforcement of the public fund hugging behavior [1] - The current fund hugging style is more extreme compared to historical instances, with rapid performance realization leading to decisive portfolio adjustments by fund managers [3][4] - The average return of the top 20 stocks held by active funds since July has reached 42%, with an impressive annual average return of 103.8%, significantly outperforming major market indices [4] Group 2: New Characteristics of Fund Hugging - The current fund hugging stocks show new changes, with an increasing number of Hong Kong stocks being included in the top holdings of active funds, reflecting a shift in asset allocation [5][6] - The artificial intelligence sector has emerged as a new favorite for fund hugging, particularly in the computing power supply chain, with companies like New Yisheng and Zhongji Xuchuang becoming preferred targets for active fund allocations [6] - Fund managers are increasingly decisive in their portfolio adjustments, with a notable increase in the number of funds holding key stocks like New Yisheng, from 162 at the end of 2022 to 1062 recently [6] Group 3: Market Dynamics and Risks - The pursuit of extreme returns by fund managers and the influx of passive funds into core index stocks have intensified the hugging effect, leading to a more pronounced new characteristic in the market [7] - The reliance on continuous net inflows of funds is critical for sustaining the hugging phenomenon, as any shift in market sentiment or cessation of new capital could trigger liquidity issues [9]