1 Introduction
The China Securities Index Company (CSI) is an independent financial index provider established in partnership between the Shanghai Stock Exchange and four other exchanges from mainland China. The CSI 50 Index is one of the most popular and heavily traded stock indices in China. It tracks the performance of the 50 largest companies listed on the exchanges of mainland China and is computed using a float-free market capitalization weighted methodology.
2 History
The CSI 50 Index was launched on November 18, 2005 by the China Securities Index Company (CSI). It was created to provide a benchmark for measuring the performance of the largest companies based on their market capitalization listed on the mainland China exchanges. On the same day, Rizhao Steel Group became the first company to have its stock traded on the Shanghai Securities Exchange, eventuating with its debut on the CSI 50 at the close of the trading day.
3 Methodology
The CSI 50 Index is a float-free market capitalization weighted index composed of the 50 most liquid stocks listed on the exchanges of mainland China. Companies included in the index must have a positive price to book value ratio and a positive price to earnings ratio. The stocks are also weight-adjusted to reduce the impact of large market capitalization companies on the index. The index is rebalanced quarterly, on the 3rd Friday of March, June, September and December. Between rebalance dates, stocks are monitored for any changes in their capitalization and liquidity.
4 Components
The constituents of the CSI 50 Index are the 50 most liquid stocks listed on the mainland China exchanges. These stocks represent a cross-section of the largest and most liquid companies in the Chinese stock market. Companies in the index include Tencent Holdings Ltd., China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, China Shenhua Energy Company Ltd., Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd., China Life Insurance Company Ltd., China Construction Bank Corporation and more.
5 Performance
Since the launch of the CSI 50 Index in 2005, the index has experienced an average yearly return of about 2%. This includes a high of 16.7% in 2007 and a low of -48.1% during the global financial crisis in 2008. In 2020, the index rose from a starting value of 2782 points on January 1 to 3337 points at the close of December 31.
6 Use
The CSI 50 Index is widely accepted as an important benchmark for the broader Chinese stock market. It is a popular choice for investors and financial professionals in the region for tracking the performance of the countrys largest companies. The index is also used by Chinese exchange-traded funds and mutual funds as a benchmark against which to measure their own performance.