ASHR vs CXSE

ASHRAXtrackers Harvest CSI 300 China A-Shares ETF

CXSEAWisdomTree China ex-State-Owned Enterprises Fund

In short

ASHR The mainland, not the offshore proxy. ASHR tracks the CSI 300, an index of the largest and most liquid stocks listed inside China's domestic A-share market, and it has been doing that job since 2013.

CXSE CXSE tracks an index that screens state-owned enterprises out of China, leaving the privately run companies. A tilt toward entrepreneurs rather than Beijing's balance sheet, at a fee well under the typical China fund.

Stated mandate

ASHR The fund tracks an index representing the largest and most liquid stocks in China's A-share market.

CXSE The Fund seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the WisdomTree China ex-State-Owned Enterprises Index.

Why people hold it

• ASHR Roughly 300 mainland-listed companies picked for size and liquidity, so one ticker covers the heart of China's domestic market rather than its offshore listings.
• Hugs its index closely and trades actively, which is why it rates as one of the stronger implementations among the China funds we cover.
• The 0.65% expense ratio comes in under the 0.70% median for China single-country ETFs, unusual for a fund reaching a market most rivals do not touch directly.
• Running since 2013 and now a multi-billion-dollar fund, so the A-share access plumbing has years of live use behind it.

• CXSE The whole design is one screen: state-controlled companies out, privately run ones in, about 200 of them. Not a broad China index with a tweak.
• 0.32% a year, well under half the 0.70% median for single-country China funds.
• Trading since 2012, and one of the tighter, more faithful builds in a crowded China cohort.

Worth knowing

• ASHR Broad China exposure can be had for less: FLCH charges 0.19% and JCHI 0.15%, both well below ASHR's 0.65%.
• One country, one market. There is no other geography in the basket to cushion a move in Chinese equities or a shift in Beijing's policy.
• Distributions land once or twice a year, so this is a growth-style holding rather than a steady income stream.

• CXSE Thinly traded next to China heavyweights like MCHI and GXC, so limit orders matter more here.
• One country, about 200 stocks, and none of the state-backed heavyweights as ballast. Swings run bigger than a diversified global fund's.
• Cheap for the group, not the cheapest: FLCH (0.19%) and JCHI (0.15%) undercut it with different mandates.

Full ASHR profile⁠

Full CXSE profile⁠