China scrutinizes quant strategies as market weakness stokes public anger

As China's stock market struggles to recover, regulators have started to probe some hedge funds and brokerages on quantitative trading strategies amid a growing outcry against a sector able to profit from share price falls and volatility, sources said. The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) has checked with several major brokers over the past weeks about short-selling activities and trading strategies of their quant clients – funds that trade rapidly using derivatives and data-driven computer models, two people with direct knowledge of the probe said. Separately, the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges, under the CSRC's guidance, have sought information from…