UBS: The Crowdedness of A-Share Tech Stocks Is Far From Reaching Historical Peaks
UBS: A-share tech stocks still far from peak crowding levels
A-shares' technology sector has seen a strong rebound, with trading activity hitting record highs, raising concerns about market crowding. However, UBS Securities argues that a key indicator of institutional positioning suggests the current crowding level remains well below historical peaks.
While the large-cap tech sector's share of total A-share trading volume and market capitalization have reached historical highs, the overweight ratio of domestic mutual funds in this sector stood at 9.9% in Q1 2026. This is down from 11.6% in Q3 2025 and significantly lower than the historical peak of 14.1% in Q4 2015. It also pales in comparison to the historical peak overweight of 18.7% for the consumer sector. UBS notes that typical cycles from a low to a peak in fund overweighting last about three years, and the current outperformance of the tech/growth style has lasted less than two years since the policy pivot in September 2024.
UBS expects A-share earnings recovery to accelerate, providing fundamental support. It forecasts 2026 A-share profit growth to rise to 11% from 3.9% in 2025. Non-financial A-share profits grew 11.8% YoY in Q1 2026, with gross and net profit margins at their highest since 2023. Persistent fund inflows, the expansion of thematic ETFs, and a recovery in private fund issuance are supporting market liquidity.
In tactical allocation, UBS favors growth and cyclical styles under its "slow bull" base case, with overweight ratings on six sectors: Electronics (benefiting from semiconductor inventory recovery and AI innovation), Communications (driven by AI computing demand), Machinery (aided by domestic capex recovery), Non-ferrous Metals (due to rising copper/aluminum prices), Chemicals (supported by anti-involution policies), and Electrical Equipment (driven by policy support and AI data center power demand).
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