Samsung Asset says China is good bet

SEOUL, South Korea - Samsung Asset Management Co, a unit of South Korea's biggest brokerage, likes consumer stocks in China because consumption is poised to explode as disposable income rises and shopping patterns change.

"The consumer sector will be the winner in the Chinese stock market," T.J. Um, who oversees $15 billion as Samsung Asset's chief investment officer of global investment, said in an interview at his office in Seoul on Thursday. "Domestic consumption will be the main factor to boost economic growth."

UBS AG predicted last month that China's stocks will enter a "bull rally" in the next three to six months as the government drafts details of the next five-year economic plan. Haitong Securities Co in August said investors should buy Chinese stocks on "near-term pull-backs".