EM Fund Stock Picks & Country Commentaries (September 27, 2026)

This video has nothing to do with emerging markets but recently this interesting commentary showed up in my YouTube feed:

Note – He divides his time between Miami and the Bay Area and normally walks around various neighborhoods while giving commentary – making his videos more interesting…

In the video, Bordenaro noted a Jerry Seinfeld comedy event in South Florida where nose bleed seats were going for a few hundred dollars and how “third places” (neither work nor home) are becoming prohibitively expensive in the USA (plus many malls are dying or unsafe). This ultimately has a negative impact on the overall functioning economy as it forces more people to stay home and more “third places” to close due to lack of patronage…

In contrast and as noted Sunday, our normal Sunday and Monday posts were going to be late as there was a free three day mid-autumn culture and music festival sponsored by the nearby old Sungei Wang mall (many locals grew up hanging out there as it was one of the first modern malls in KL) with a concert featuring local pop stars and fireworks on Saturday night attended by a Deputy Tourism Minister:

This was after the Sunway Velocity Mall in nearby Maluri had an autumn festival lantern parade among other events during the previous weekend…

And on Sunday there was the free 17th annual Latin American Festival in front of the Low Yat IT mall next door that featured a traditional Mexican singer among other entertainment and food (but no Cuban band again – they may not have enough hard currency to send one out to tour Asia to earn more hard currency…):

Note: I know Latin America is diverse, but I always find it funny how the ambassadors (Cuba’s black woman Ambassador has been replaced by a white woman) along with the other local Latin Americans in attendance are all fairer skinned than I am (like my Dutch mother) along with most of the Mexicans I grew up with!

Last year, the then mayor of KL was in attendance (as she apparently had been to Colombia and did Colombian dance) while this year Federal Territories Minister Hannah Yeoh was the guest of honor who then did a walk about around the festival. In her speech, she did talk about her work helping the city’s parks and I could have easily approached her later to ask why all the street trees are slowly being chopped down and not replaced around my neighborhood for the past decade+. (Maybe I am cynical but you would be hard pressed to find a big city US mayor or high ranking politician mingling unscripted among non-donor class masses at any event open to the masses…).

And at both these events, I did not need to spend that much more money than I would have spent eating at the hawkers / mamaks / restaurants that I usually eat lunch and dinner out around the neighborhood as the food booths were not particularly outrageously expensive in comparison. In other words, SE Asia still has its “third places” along with a functioning consumer economy…

One final quick note: Lately when I use DeepSeek to help extract stock names from fund documents covered in these posts, I have been getting this message:

Sorry, that’s beyond my current scope. Let’s talk about something else.

This usually happens when there is any discussion of the Chinese stock market in August or Q2 (and possibly Taiwan or Taiwan stocks). Either DeepSeek has ramped up their “censorship” or, again, its a reflection of how negative the commentary has been about the Chinese market. But its not like Chinese internet users are using the English language DeepSeek interface that those of us outside of China are using.

However, DeepSeek had no problem giving me a list of all stocks covered in this piece covered later in this post:

On the other hand, I am not having any problems using another free Chinese AI service from Alibaba. So go figure…

As of the end of September, most August fund updates (our continuously updated post containing all funds is here) along with new emerging market research has become available:

🗄️ Fund documents / updates; ⚠️ Disclosures or restricted access e.g. based on your location, investor status, etc.; 🇼 Wikipedia page; 🔬 Research analysis (including articles/blog posts from fund managers, etc.); 🎥 Video; 🎙️ Podcast; 🎬 Webinar; 📝 Transcript; 📰 Newspaper/magazine article; 📯 Press release; 💻 Substack/blog/website article; ✅ Our own posts; 🗃️ Linked archived article; ⏰ Upcoming webinar or event.

📈 Contributors; 📉 Detractors; 🏧 Transactions; 🚩Discusses/mentions stocks by name.

Disclaimer: We usually use Deepseek to summarize or extract stock names and assign performance emojis. Like all AI, Deepseek is not perfect and regularly adjusts their model which can lead to mistakes/misunderstandings/misinterpretations of the data its given. Your use of any content is entirely at your own risk and it is your sole responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness and usefulness of the content.

• 🗄️🌏 Abrdn Asia Focus PLC (LON: AAS)’s monthly factsheet (detailed economic and portfolio) for this high conviction portfolio of Asian small caps is from August. Stocks discussed or mentioned:

  • 📈🏧🇹🇼 🇨🇳 Asia Vital Components Co Ltd (TPE: 3017 / OTCMKTS: AVMPF) – Thermal solutions & casing systems. 🇼 🏷️

  • 📈🏧🇹🇼 Fositek Corporation (TPE: 6805) – Metal stamping design & manufacturing (foldable mobile phones, notebook computers & tablet computer rotating shaft parts).

  • 📈🏧🇹🇼 Nan Juen International Co Ltd (TPEX: 6584) – Steel ball guide rails for residential & industrial uses.

  • 📈🏧🇹🇼 Taiwan Union Technology Corporation (TPEX: 6274) – Value-added materials & advanced mass lamination service to the global electronics industry.

  • 📈🏧🇹🇼 Universal Microwave Technology (TPEX: 3491) – Microwave/mmWave high frequency passive communication components & antennas.

  • 📈🏧🇮🇳 Welspun Corp Ltd (NSE: WELCORP / BOM: 532144) – Manufactures, sells & distributes steel pipes, tubes, bars, coils & plates. 🇼

  • 📈🇨🇳 WuXi XDC Cayman (HKG: 2268 / FRA: L74) 🇰🇾 – Contract Research, Development & Manufacturing Organization (CRDMO) focused on the global ADC & bioconjugate market. 🏷️

  • 📉🏧🇰🇷 Classys (KRX: 214150) – Medical aesthetics technologies w/ market share positioning in 55+ countries (Europe, Australia, Brazil & Singapore). 🏷️

  • 📉🇹🇼 Chroma Ate Inc (TPE: 2360) – Taiwanese automated testing company. Semiconductor testing for AI-artificial intelligence. 🇼 🏷️

  • 📉🇨🇳 Cloud Music (HKG: 9899) or NetEase Cloud Music 🇰🇾 – Leading online music platforms in China. Interactive content community for music enthusiasts. 🏷️

  • 📉🇸🇬 China Yuchai International Limited (NYSE: CYD) 🇧🇲 – Diesel & natural gas engines for trucks, buses & passenger vehicles, marine, industrial, construction, agriculture & generator set applications. Subs. of Singapore-based Hong Leong Asia Ltd (SGX: H22 / FRA: HOM). 🇼

  • 📉🇨🇳 Zhejiang Shuanghuan Driveline Co Ltd (SHE: 002472) 🇨🇳 – Gears, transmission & drive components.

  • 🏧🇹🇼 Kaori Heat Treatment Co Ltd (TPE: 8996) – Metal heat treatment processing. Plate heat exchangers & critical components for stationary Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFCs). 🇼

  • 🏧🇭🇰 Impro Precision Industries Ltd (HKG: 1286 / FRA: 7IP) 🇭🇰 – Casting & machined components for diverse end-markets.

  • 🏧🇰🇷 Techwing Inc (KOSDAQ: 089030) – Semiconductor test/inspection equipment company (all areas of semiconductor post-process).

  • 🏧🇰🇷 Koh Young Technology (KOSDAQ: 098460) – Optomechatronics & machine vision technologies. Smart factory solutions with its 3D measurement-based inspection solutions. 🏷️

  • 🏧🇰🇷 Cosmecca Korea (KOSDAQ: 241710) – Development, manufacture & sale of skincare products. 🏷️

  • 🏧🇮🇳 Multi Commodity Exchange Of India (NSE: MCX / BOM: 534091) – State-of-the-art commodity derivatives exchange. 🇼 🏷️

  • 🏧🇭🇰 Hang Lung Group Limited (HKG: 0010 / FRA: HLU / OTCMKTS: HNLGF / HNLGY) 🇭🇰 – Investment holding company. Property development for sales & leasing & management of car parks, properties & dry cleaning businesses. 🇼

  • 🏧🇭🇰 🇨🇳 Hang Lung Properties Ltd (HKG: 0101 / FRA: AOP / OTCMKTS: HLPPY / HLPPF) 🇭🇰 – Top-tier property developer. Luxury positioning under the “66” brand. Subs. of Hang Lung Group Limited (HKG: 0010 / FRA: HLU / OTCMKTS: HNLGF / HNLGY). 🇼 🏷️

  • 🏧🇹🇼 MPI Corporation (TPEX: 6223) – Testing. 5 main business sectors: Probe Card, Photonics Automation, Advanced Semiconductor Test, Thermal Test & Celadon Systems.

• 🗄️🌏 abrdn Asia-Pacific Income Fund, Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN: FAX)’s latest quarterly commentary (market review and outlook) is dated from the Quarter ended July 31, 2026. It gives or covers an economic & market overview, Asian bonds, Asian currencies, Asian credit, EM debt & currencies and an outlook.