THE U.S. investment advisory firm founded by Wall Street trader William O’Neil is stepping up business expansion in China as the nation accelerates financial deregulation amid rising tension with the United States. Undeterred by the pandemic, William O’Neil+Co. last month obtained the regulatory go-ahead to launch local-currency funds in China, and will soon apply for a license to raise money locally for offshore investment, CEO Steven Birch said in an interview. “We see evolutionary parallels between the United States and China as young people better understand how to save and build wealth for themselves and their families,” Birch said. The Los Angeles-headquartered company aims to bring quant-based investment strategies to China’s retail-heavy stock market, where many trade on tips and rumors. The move comes as China hastens the opening-up of its financial industry amid renewed tension with the United States. Birch hailed China’s announcement earlier this month to scrap quotas under the QFII, a key inbound investment program for foreign institutions. O’Neil’s bestselling book “How to Make Money in Stocks” is popular among Chinese stock pickers, and the firm plans to launch a series of yuan-denominated private funds that invest in local markets. The funds’ strategies include O’Neil’s proprietary CAN SLIM stock selection methodology, which seeks to identify stock winners using a blend of fundamental and technical analysis, with factors adapted to trading patterns in China, according to Birch. (SD-Agencies) |