Three Asian growth stocks to invest in the world's fastest growing markets
Avo Ora of Pictet Asset Management, picks three Asian growth stocks in the world's fastest growing markets and explains why he would put his money in them.

Pictet’s Asia ex-Japan strategy is a long-only, high conviction and fundamentally driven portfolio. We focus on cash-generative businesses and invest in both structural compounders and cyclical-inflection opportunities. Asian equities are attractive due to the strong earning potential of companies and appealing valuations, especially relative to developed markets. A focus on stock selection has been the driver of outperformance and the holding period for each stock is typically three to five years.
Asia remains the fastest-growing region in the world. It is among the most advanced in terms of e-commerce and fintech. The companies below showcase three of the most interesting picks across a variety of sectors.
A key player in renewables
Innovation across the region is on show in the renewable energy sector. Sungrow (Shenzhen: 300274) is a key player in the renewable energy manufacturing chain. It supplies inverters to solar module makers, as well as energy storage solutions (ESS) to solar farm operators. The company is looking to expand its inverter market share from both global and domestic leaders, such as Huawei.
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE

Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Sungrow has benefited from strong tailwinds from global solar farm growth and the accompanying need to capture and store solar energy via its ESS business, as well as from China’s long-term policies of increasing green energy.
We believe current energy prices are likely to accelerate the renewables roll-out. What seem to be high near-term multiples (a forward price/earnings (p/e) ratio of 30 times estimated 2023 earnings) belie the value in the name due to its long-term, structural growth.
A safe play on China’s real-estate rebound
Midea (Shenzhen: 000333) is a white-goods manufacturer whose main product is air conditioners. We believe the company has been unfairly punished due to its exposure to the Chinese real-estate market and, more recently, to rising input costs. However, in our view Midea has managed past surges in input costs (copper) well and will now look to mitigate adverse effects on margins through efficiency gains, price increases and product mix.
We also believe that in order for China to reach its growth targets, it will have to address the real-estate market’s issues tactically and adjust policies so that buyers come back into the market. With Midea’s strong cash flow and net cash position, this should be a safe way to gain exposure to a Chinese property market rebound. At 10.6 times forecast 2023 earnings and a 4.3% dividend yield, it provides both the safety of value and the upside of growth in an otherwise difficult market.
Asia’s best insurer
We view AIA (Hong Kong: 1299) as Asia’s best insurer. A policy of financial liberalisation means there is a strong long-term structural tailwind to growth in the Chinese insurance market. Although the stock has been affected by Covid-19, with the added difficulty of its agents being less able to meet clients in person, we are now seeing the beginning of loosening restrictions in Hong Kong.
Given AIA’s strong presence across Asia, we consider the stock a good way to play an opening up of travel in mainland China and Hong Kong. In addition, valuations should be considered reasonable at 1.7 times 2021 book and 13.5 times earnings.
Get the latest financial news, insights and expert analysis from our award-winning MoneyWeek team, to help you understand what really matters when it comes to your finances.
Avo Ora is manager of the Pictet Asian Equities ex-Japan fund
-
1,000 children hold over £100,000 in a junior ISA – how to grow tax-free nest egg for your child
Junior ISAs can be a tax-efficient way to grow a nest egg for your child. We explain how they work
-
How to start investing: a beginner’s guide
Getting started in investing is a great way to make your money work harder for you over the long term, as investments tend to outperform cash savings
-
AJ Bell: a fine British fintech going cheap
Opinion Don’t overlook investment platform AJ Bell, a significantly undervalued British business with an excellent financial base
-
Energy infrastructure companies will provide a lift for your portfolio
Opinion Stacey Morris, Head of Energy Research at VettaFi, highlights three energy infrastructure stocks that she'd put her money in
-
QXO: a compelling opportunity in the building materials industry
Opinion The boss of QXO knows how to make a few billion dollars, and aims to repeat the trick. Investors would be wise to back him, says Jamie Ward
-
Microsoft’s partnership with OpenAI is on the rocks
Microsoft’s joint venture with OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, appears to be in trouble. What now for the two groups?
-
Carson Block on short-selling and what investors should watch out for when going long
Interview Renowned short seller Carson Block talks to Matthew Partridge about his specialism and where to go long
-
Investors can buy into tomorrow’s top global technology stocks today
Opinion Anthony Ginsberg, manager of HAN-GINS Tech Megatrend Equal Weight UCITS ETF, highlights three technology stocks as he tells us where he'd put his money
-
Drinks maker Diageo gets back on its feet – should you invest?
Diageo has faced one disaster after another over the past two years. Is it finally time to buy?
-
'Seeking out quality and resilience will pay off for patient British investors'
Opinion Gary Channon, chief investment officer of Phoenix Asset Management Partners, and Kartik Kumar, member of the Investment Team, select three stocks