How China’s young managers grappled with billion-yuan mandates as AI shocks hit portfolios

New portfolio managers were thrust into the spotlight as tech bets soured and client scrutiny intensified during 50-day market turmoil

As Leopold Aschenbrenner’s US hedge fund saw assets wiped off by more than two-thirds in a single month, some of China’s new portfolio managers also felt the shock across the Pacific, learning bitter lessons early in their careers.

For Yuan Zeqiang, with three and a half years of sell-side research, his two debut portfolios at Caitong Fund Management tumbled 36 per cent and 33 per cent, respectively, between his June 11 appointment and July 30, market data showed.

Taking over two products from the outset, Yuan inherited combined assets of 7.28 billion yuan (US$1.08 billion) at the end of the second quarter – an unusually large mandate for a first-time manager.

The rapid drawdown stemmed from his heavy exposure to tech stocks, which retreated after sharp gains earlier in the year.

Yuan is not alone in this highly competitive environment.