CONVEX
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▍ STATISTICAL PROJECTION · YEAR-END 2026

Based on current macro regime conditions and china large-cap (fxi)'s historical behaviour in similar regimes, the model projects $36.29 by 2026-12-31 ( +0.1% from $36.24 today). The 68% confidence range is $27.35 to $45.23; the wider 95% range is $18.76 to $53.81. Methodology below the headline.

Central Estimate
$36.29
+0.1% vs current $36.24
68% Range (±1σ)
$27.35 to $45.23
95% Range (±1.96σ)
$18.76 to $53.81
Blended from 4 regime anchors· sample-weighted
VIX · Normal (15-25)
-4.7%n=842 · w=37%
10Y-2Y Yield Curve · Flat (0-100bps)
+4.8%n=573 · w=25%
HY OAS Spread · Tight (<350bps)
+7.0%n=762 · w=33%
Trade-Weighted Dollar · Weak (bottom tercile)
-31.7%n=115 · w=5%
METHOD: CENTRAL = SAMPLE-WEIGHTED MEAN OF PER-ANCHOR CURRENT-REGIME 1Y AVERAGES, SCALED TO 156-DAY HORIZON. BAND = ±σ√T USING 31.4% ANNUALIZED REALIZED VOL.
EXPECTED TO BE $36.29 BY 2026-12-31 (HIGHER FROM $36.24 ON 2026-05-18). NOT INVESTMENT ADVICE.
▍ MODEL · STATISTICAL FORECAST · 2026

China Large-Cap (FXI) Forecast 2026

Quantitative analysis from 1,298 observations of China Large-Cap (FXI) history, joined to four universal macro regime classifications. Numbers are computed, not narrated.

ByConvex Research Desk·Edited byBen Bleier·
FXI · LAST
$36.24
AS OF 2026-05-18
Percentile · 25Y History
64.2th
▍ HEADLINE SIGNAL · CONTRARIAN BULLISH
Hist. Avg +252d
+7.0%
vs -5.2% unconditional · +12.2%pp above
When HY OAS Spread sits in its Tight (<350bps) regime — as it does today (2.76) — China Large-Cap (FXI) has historically returned an average of +7.05% over the next 252 trading days, 12.2pp above the all-history average of -5.17%. Sample: 762 observations, 56.7% hit rate.
METHOD: PERCENTILE-RANK MATCHED, LOOK-AHEAD-BIAS-FREE·NOT A FORECAST·HISTORICAL CONDITIONAL AVERAGE

Regime Scan[01/04]

VIX
Normal (15-25)
-4.7%+1Y AVG
Δ +0.5%pp · n=842
10Y-2Y Yield Curve
Flat (0-100bps)
+4.8%+1Y AVG
Δ +10.0%pp · n=573
HY OAS Spread
Tight (<350bps)
+7.0%+1Y AVG
Δ +12.2%pp · n=762

Δ = divergence from -5.2% unconditional all-history average

Performance by Window[02]

WINDOWNANN RETANN VOLRET/VOLHIT %TOTAL
1Y2620.95%19.39%0.0546.7%0.95%
3Y7638.88%28.16%0.3248.4%29.06%
5Y1,268-4.11%31.62%-0.1346.6%-18.91%
10Y1,298-5.17%31.36%-0.1646.6%-23.77%
All1,298-5.17%31.36%-0.1646.6%-23.77%

Annualized total return = (1 + total)^(1/years) - 1. Ret/Vol is the annualized return divided by annualized volatility (Sharpe-equivalent without risk-free subtraction). Hit % = pct of single periods that were positive.

Where We Are Now[03]

Percentile Rank
64.2th
20.95median 31.7847.59
Current value 36.2000 on a 1,298-observation history going back to Oct 31, 2022.
Volatility Regime
low
19.46%REALIZED 30D ANN
Sits at the 14.0th percentile vs full history. Median 26.77%.

Forward Returns by Macro Regime[04]

How China Large-Cap (FXI) has performed historically conditional on the prevailing macro regime. The current bucket is highlighted; +1Y averages drive the headline signal above.

VIX
Volatility regime: Low (<15), Normal (15-25), Elevated (25-40), Extreme (>40)
CURRENT: 17.26 Normal (15-25)
REGIME BUCKETN+30D+90D+1Y AVG+1Y MEDHIT %
Low (<15)261-0.32%5.14%25.72%29.36%77.1%
Normal (15-25)842-0.25%-2.63%-4.70%-11.01%35.6%
Elevated (25-40)1760.40%-0.25%-5.12%-7.43%28.7%
Extreme (>40)4n/an/an/an/an/a
10Y-2Y Yield Curve
Yield curve regime: Inverted (<0bps), Flat (0-100bps), Steep (>100bps)
CURRENT: 0.50 Flat (0-100bps)
REGIME BUCKETN+30D+90D+1Y AVG+1Y MEDHIT %
Inverted (<0bps)5400.03%2.28%10.88%1.62%52.2%
Flat (0-100bps)5730.81%0.05%4.78%0.97%52.1%
Steep (>100bps)163-3.69%-11.73%-31.98%-30.83%0.0%
HY OAS Spread
Credit regime: Tight (<350bps), Normal (350-500bps), Stressed (>500bps)
CURRENT: 2.76 Tight (<350bps)
REGIME BUCKETN+30D+90D+1Y AVG+1Y MEDHIT %
Tight (<350bps)7620.59%1.15%7.05%15.00%56.7%
Normal (350-500bps)469-0.56%-2.46%-1.96%-5.11%33.5%
Stressed (>500bps)53-6.09%-5.46%-9.35%-11.31%15.1%
Trade-Weighted Dollar
Dollar regime: bottom/middle/top tercile of trailing 5Y rolling distribution
CURRENT: 118.04 Weak (bottom tercile)
REGIME BUCKETN+30D+90D+1Y AVG+1Y MEDHIT %
Weak (bottom tercile)115-4.12%-11.58%-31.65%-32.24%0.0%
Neutral (middle)336-1.55%-6.00%-23.28%-26.36%6.8%
Strong (top tercile)8180.98%2.47%9.86%3.19%54.7%

Forward returns are forward-looking from each historical observation in the bucket; +252d corresponds to one trading year. Buckets with fewer than 5 forward-return observations are reported as n/a. These are conditional historical averages, not forecasts.

Lead-Lag Relationships[05]

For each universally-recognised leading indicator, the lag at which the daily-return correlation peaks. Positive lag means the anchor leads China Large-Cap (FXI); negative means it lags.

ANCHORROLEPEAK LAGPEAK CORRZERO-LAGRELATIONSHIP
Trade-Weighted DollarFX driver0d-0.343-0.343coincident
CopperGlobal growth proxy0d0.3290.329coincident
VIXVolatility leader0d-0.319-0.319coincident
HY OAS SpreadCredit risk leader0d-0.267-0.267coincident
10Y-2Y Yield SpreadRecession leader-14d0.115-0.027weak
Baa-10Y SpreadCredit risk (slow)0d-0.086-0.086weak
NFCIFinancial conditions+16d-0.081-0.034weak
10Y Treasury YieldDiscount-rate driver+37d-0.079-0.012weak
Initial Jobless ClaimsLabor leader+7d0.071-0.006weak
U-Mich Consumer SentimentSurvey leader0d0.0000.000weak

Pearson correlation of daily returns over up to 25 years of overlapping history, searched across a ±60-day lag grid. Indicators classified as “weak” don't have meaningful predictive power at daily resolution; many of these (yield curve, NFCI, sentiment) lead at monthly/quarterly horizons instead.

Historical Analogs[06]

Periods where China Large-Cap (FXI) sat at a similar percentile rank to today, with what happened over the next 30 / 90 / 252 trading days. Analogs are clustered to avoid double-counting nearby dates.

DATEVALUE+30D+90D+1Y
Apr 21, 202532.430010.08%18.90%15.94%
Jan 21, 202530.750019.64%13.82%28.39%
Oct 23, 202431.9200-4.86%15.82%28.70%

Worst Historical Drawdown[07]

-55.98%PEAK-TO-TROUGH
Peak Apr 23, 2021 → trough Oct 31, 2022. Has not yet recovered to prior peak.
All-time high: 47.5900 on Apr 23, 2021 · Current DD from ATH: -23.93%

Cross-Asset Correlations · 1Y[08]

S&P 500
0.545
n=260
Nasdaq 100
0.529
n=260
20Y Treasury
0.114
n=260
Gold
0.334
n=260
Bitcoin
0.324
n=260

Largest Single-Period Moves[09]

▲ Up
  • Mar 16, 202221.24%
  • Sep 24, 20249.83%
  • Dec 9, 20248.22%
  • Sep 26, 20247.98%
  • Nov 4, 20227.58%
▼ Down
  • Oct 24, 2022-9.99%
  • Oct 8, 2024-9.16%
  • Apr 7, 2025-8.37%
  • Apr 4, 2025-7.04%
  • Mar 14, 2022-6.71%

Calendar-Month Seasonality[10]

Average single-period return aggregated by the calendar month in which the period ended.

MONTHAVG RETURNHIT %N
January0.15%49.5%101
February-0.09%44.8%96
March0.02%44.0%109
April-0.04%43.8%128
May0.02%43.9%123
June0.14%53.4%103
July-0.10%44.8%105
August-0.02%45.9%111
September0.02%45.6%103
October-0.20%46.4%110
November0.20%51.0%102
December-0.09%48.1%106

N = 1,298 OBS · GENERATED 2026-05-17 17:00Z

Forecast Approach

scenario weighted: We aggregate probability-weighted outcomes across active tracked scenarios, each with historical base rates and current heat scores. The projection above is the sample-weighted central estimate across current macro regime anchors; the scenario list below adds qualitative context.

Consensus source: Sell-side price targets

Key Drivers & Risks

  • Earnings growth
  • Valuations
  • Monetary policy
  • Risk appetite
  • Economic growth

Historical Volatility

Moderate-high: 15-25% annual range typical

Scenarios That Affect This Forecast

How FXI Forecasts Have Held Up Historically

China large-cap ETF forecasts have one of the worst track records of any liquid equity ETF. The 2021-2024 drawdown (-65% peak to trough on regulatory crackdowns plus property-sector deleveraging plus US-China tensions) was missed by every consensus forecast; the 2024 H2 stimulus rally (+45% in three months) was equally missed.

Regime-conditional models on FXI achieve approximately 55% directional accuracy. The dominant variables are PBoC policy, Chinese stimulus announcements, US-China trade and tech-decoupling tensions, and CNY strength.

Regime Sensitivity for FXI

FXI has unique regime sensitivity that doesn't map to the standard four-factor classifier. The dominant variables are Chinese policy (monetary and fiscal stimulus), US-China geopolitics (binary regime risk), and Chinese property sector dynamics. Goldilocks regimes anchored by stimulus and de-escalation map to forward 252-day FXI returns averaging +18%; stagflation regimes with stimulus disappointing map to -10%; reflation near +12%; deflation near -20%.

The April 2026 setup has Trump 2.0 tariffs at 60%+ on China, PBoC easing modestly, and the property sector still deleveraging. The regime conditional reads as cautiously constructive on stimulus optionality but with binary US-China escalation risk.

What Drives FXI Forecast Errors

Three structural issues drive FXI forecast errors. First, Chinese policy is opaque and announced unpredictably. The September 2024 stimulus surprise that drove FXI +35% in three weeks had no Western-analyst forecast model that anticipated the magnitude; the November 2024 fiscal stimulus disappointment took FXI -15%.

Second, US-China geopolitics is binary. Trump 2.0 tariff escalations, technology-export controls (semiconductor licensing), and Taiwan-tension headlines each produce 5-10% FXI moves that no macro classifier captures.

Third, ADR delisting risk persists. PCAOB-SEC audit-access disputes have been resolved but could re-emerge; forced delisting would re-shape FXI composition.

How to Use This Forecast in Practice

For FXI, watch PBoC and Politburo policy announcements (the dominant binary), US-China trade news (the secondary binary), and CNY direction (the FX-leg signal). Aggregate macro models matter less than headline-driven regime shifts.

The cleanest cross-check is the FXI-MCHI spread (MCHI is broader-than-large-cap China). FXI leading MCHI signals state-owned-enterprise dominance (banks, energy); MCHI leading flags broader Chinese growth participation. The 68% band on FXI should be treated as 200%+ of SPY's because of the policy-and-geopolitical tail risks.

Frequently Asked Questions

What factors could push China Large-Cap (FXI) higher?

The primary drivers that tend to lift China Large-Cap (FXI) depend on the current macro regime. iShares China Large-Cap ETF, proxy for Chinese equity market. Convex tracks these drivers live across the Equity Index category and flags when multiple forces align in the same direction. See the "Key Drivers & Risks" section on this page for the current list, and check the regime dashboard for how the macro backdrop is currently tilted.

What factors could push China Large-Cap (FXI) lower?

The same transmission channels that drive China Large-Cap (FXI) higher operate in reverse when conditions flip. The risk drivers listed above map directly to scenarios that, if triggered, would pull this metric in the opposite direction. Convex aggregates these into a scenario-weighted probability distribution rather than a point forecast, so the magnitude depends on which scenarios activate.

Where does consensus see China Large-Cap (FXI) heading?

Rather than publish a point target that goes stale the day after release, Convex assembles consensus from the macro regime classification, active scenario probabilities, and historical base rates. Point forecasts from banks and strategists are worth reading for context, but they typically cluster around the consensus and miss the tail events that actually move markets. The scenario-weighted approach here captures that tail risk explicitly.

What is the historical range for China Large-Cap (FXI)?

Historical ranges for China Large-Cap (FXI) vary dramatically by regime. A level that is extreme in Goldilocks can be routine in Stagflation, and vice versa. The Historical Volatility section on this page describes the typical range and regime-specific behavior. For the full multi-decade history, visit the China Large-Cap (FXI) chart page, which includes selectable time ranges up to five years and downloadable data.

How often is the China Large-Cap (FXI) forecast updated?

This forecast page recalculates whenever the underlying data or regime classification changes, typically within hours of new data releases. The scenario probabilities refresh daily as the macro state is regenerated. Specific drivers listed on this page reflect the current state of the Convex regime engine, not static historical assumptions.

Is this forecast actionable for trading?

Convex forecasts are informational and educational. They describe probability distributions and regime-conditional paths rather than specific entry and exit levels. Traders and portfolio managers use them alongside other inputs including position sizing rules, risk management, and their own conviction calibration. They are not investment advice.

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Forecasts are model-based projections derived from current regime classification, scenario probabilities, and historical patterns. They are not investment advice. All investments involve risk.