China's publicly offered equity funds saw robust growth in the third quarter, with total assets under management (AUM) exceeding 10 trillion yuan ($1.4 trillion), according to data from Tianxiang Investment Consulting.

The equity fund category, including QDII funds, expanded by 2 trillion yuan quarter-on-quarter to reach 10.34 trillion yuan by end-September. Stock-focused funds led the growth, increasing by 1.2 trillion yuan to 5.94 trillion yuan, while hybrid funds rose by nearly 600 billion yuan to 3.56 trillion yuan. QDII funds also grew by 200 billion yuan.

Multiple factors contributed to the expansion, including improved market conditions, policy support, product innovation, and shifting investor behavior. Among fund managers, the top 10 firms collectively managed 6.15 trillion yuan in equity assets, up 1.25 trillion yuan from Q2. E Fund and ChinaAMC each surpassed 1 trillion yuan in equity AUM.

In terms of quarterly profits, E Fund led with 297.28 billion yuan across 756 products, followed by ChinaAMC (227.4 billion yuan from 868 products) and Southern Asset Management (99.01 billion yuan from 764 products).

CATL maintained its position as the most-held stock by public funds for multiple consecutive quarters, appearing in 1,408 fund portfolios. The top 10 holdings (excluding Hong Kong stocks) also included consumer, information technology, and healthcare sector leaders, reflecting fund managers' sector preferences.