Chinese investors eye global market

BEIJING - A variety of investment instruments will eventually be common in China as retail investors gain the sophistication of investing in different asset classes, and capitalizing on opportunities outside of the country, said Robert Shakotko, managing director of Index Services at Standard & Poor's (S&P).

"Chinese asset and fund managers have started looking at fixed-income products and index commodities," he said. "More Chinese investors are aware of global opportunities when they look for equity investments. When they invest in (the equity stocks of) the Coca-Cola Company, for example, they also invest in the company's global activities."

Shakotko was speaking to the media recently following the licensing of the S&P 500 Index on March 18 to Bosera Asset Management Co, a Chinese mutual-fund company, for the development of an exchange-traded fund (ETF) based on the index.