ETF Evaluator:
KraneShares SSE STAR Market 50 ETF (KSTR)
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(as of Jul 31)
Best Performing in Greater China Region Over the Last Year
| 131.8% | KraneShares SSE STAR Market 50 ETF (KSTR) |
| 116.9% | VanEck ChiNext Innovators ETF (CNXT) |
| 103.9% | Franklin FTSE Taiwan ETF (FLTW) |
| 98.9% | iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF (EWT) |
| 85.9% | Matthews China Innovators Active ETF (MCHS) |
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ETF Details
KraneShares SSE STAR Market 50 ETF Overview
KraneShares SSE STAR Market 50 ETF (KSTR) is a passively managed International Equity Greater China Region exchange-traded fund (ETF). KraneShares launched the ETF in 2021.
The investment seeks to provide investment results that, before fees and expenses, correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the SSE Science and Technology Innovation Board 50 Index.
Under normal circumstances, the fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in instruments in its underlying index or in instruments that have economic characteristics similar to those in the underlying index. The underlying index includes the stocks of the top 50 companies by free-float market capitalizations listed on the SSE Science and Technology Innovation Board (the “STAR Board”). It is non-diversified.
About KraneShares SSE STAR Market 50 ETF (KSTR)
There are 1 members of the management team with an average tenure of 5.42 years: Qiong Wan (2021). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
The ETF has 2 primary benchmarks: MSCI China All Shares NR USD index with a weighting of 100% and SSE Sci & Tech Inno Board 50 USD index with a weighting of 100%. KraneShares SSE STAR Market 50 ETF has 52 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 63.2% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a nondiversified fund. The ETF is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
KraneShares SSE STAR Market 50 ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the International Equity ETF group. KraneShares SSE STAR Market 50 ETF has 99.6% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.0% There is 99.6% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 0.0% (0.0% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). KraneShares SSE STAR Market 50 ETF has 0.4% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $302 million in total assets, which is below the $1 billion average for the Greater China Region category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
KSTR Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The KraneShares SSE STAR Market 50 ETF expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Greater China Region category. KraneShares SSE STAR Market 50 ETF has an expense ratio of 0.89%, which is 34% higher than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a F. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. KraneShares SSE STAR Market 50 ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 188%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 57% for the Greater China Region category.
Recently, in the month of June 2026, KraneShares SSE STAR Market 50 ETF returned 26.4%, which earned it a grade of A, as the Greater China Region category had an average return of -1.6%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all ETFs in that category.
KraneShares SSE STAR Market 50 ETF has a trailing yield of 0.00%, which is below the 3.30% category average.
The fund normally distributes its income annually.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
KraneShares SSE STAR Market 50 ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned 71.7%, 65.5 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of A. The fund has returned 131.8% over the past year (grade of A), 29.5% over the past three years (grade of A) and 3.1% per year over the past five years (grade of A).
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KSTR Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 6/30/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| KSTR Return (NAV) | 26.4% | 78.7% | 131.8% | 29.5% | 3.1% | na |
| KSTR Return (Price) | 28.9% | 77.0% | 134.1% | 30.3% | 3.3% | na |
| NAV +/- Price Return | -2.445% | 1.762% | -2.305% | -0.779% | -0.216% | na |
| Greater China Region Avg | -1.6% | 9.3% | 25.1% | 12.4% | -3.2% | 5.6% |
| KSTR Grade (NAV) | A | A | A | A | A | na |
| +/- Category (NAV) | 28.0% | 69.5% | 106.7% | 17.0% | 6.3% | na |
| KSTR Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | na |
KSTR Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 6/30/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| KSTR Return (NAV) | 71.7% | 41.3% | 6.4% | -18.1% | -38.1% | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| KSTR Return (Price) | 73.8% | 42.8% | 6.1% | -17.9% | -38.5% | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | 0.030% | 0.037% | -0.044% | -0.011% | 0.010% | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| Greater China Region Avg | 6.2% | 30.4% | 11.2% | -10.5% | -25.1% | -7.2% | 42.8% | 26.9% | -22.9% | 45.1% | -6.2% |
| KSTR Grade (NAV) | A | A | D | F | F | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| +/- Category | 65.5% | 10.9% | -4.7% | -7.6% | -13.1% | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | 1.21 |
| R-Squared: | 18% |
| Standard Deviation: | 39.7% |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.54 |
| Category Risk Rating: | High |
| Total Risk Index: | 3.26 |
| Total Risk Rating: | High |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | 0.0% |
| Total Assets: | $ 303 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 303 Mil |
| Turnover: | 188.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.89% |
| Index Fund: | Yes |
| Index Tracked: | MSCI China All Shares NR USD |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | No |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 1 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 5.4 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 5.4 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Wan Qiong (2021) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 52 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 63.2% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | Yes |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 99.6% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 99.6% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.4% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | KraneShares |
| Phone Number: | 855-857-2638 |
| Website: | http://www.kraneshares.com |
| Inception Date: | January 26, 2021 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.89% (Rating: High) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.67% |