HONG KONG (Reuters) – The Asian prime brokerage unit of Credit Suisse (CSGN.VX: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) has replaced Morgan Stanley (MS.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) as the second largest firm servicing the region’s $148 billion hedge funds industry, a survey showed.

The annual survey by industry tracker AsiaHedge, released this week, found that Goldman Sachs (GS.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) remains Asia’s top prime broker with 179 clients and total assets under management of $24.6 billion.

HONG KONG, May 16 (Reuters) – Vanguard Group will sell
Korean shares worth about $3 billion by July 3, as the largest
U.S. mutual fund manager switches the benchmark of its emerging
market index fund, putting further pressure on Asia’s
worst-performing market this year.

“Each week we are roughly going to sell 4 percent of our
total Korean position,” said Rodney Comegys, the head of
Vanguard’s index analysis and ETF trading teams, in a telephone
interview with Reuters on Thursday.

HONG KONG, May 15 (Reuters) – After 18 years as a banker at
firms such as Citigroup and Nomura, Shaheryar Chishty took a
different direction in late 2011, starting an investment firm
that, among other things, helped guide Chinese and South Korean
money into Pakistan.

While Pakistan is probably not the first place the average
investor would choose to park cash, Chishty’s timing was spot
on. The country’s stock market surged 49 percent last year to
become one of the five best performing markets in the world.

HONG KONG (Reuters) – As central banks print cash to boost moribund economies, investors in Asia wanting to hedge against rising prices are dumping gold and doubling down on property.

They are driven by the search for yield as surprisingly benign inflation dims the appeal of bullion, but it’s a risky play given lofty valuations for real estate.

HONG KONG, May 10 (Reuters) – As central banks print cash to
boost moribund economies, investors in Asia wanting to hedge
against rising prices are dumping gold and doubling down on
property.

They are driven by the search for yield as surprisingly
benign inflation dims the appeal of bullion, but it’s a risky
play given lofty valuations for real estate.

HONG KONG, May 3 (Reuters) – Five former proprietary trading
desk bankers at J.P. Morgan in Singapore have started a new
firm, linking up with one of Canada’s largest mutual funds to
launch the business.

Dhimant Shah, 41, the former head of proprietary trading at
J.P. Morgan Chase & Co in Singapore, told Reuters that
the plan is to launch two funds investing in credit markets. The
funds will also bet on foreign exchange, equity indices and
interest rates.

NEW YORK/HONG KONG (Reuters) – Where there’s an investing niche, there’s probably an exchange-traded fund that exploits it. Mainland China is an exception.

Chinese plans to increase foreign access to its $3 trillion onshore stock market may pave the way for ETFs that can own these shares and be sold to foreigners. But getting there is likely to be a long, difficult process, and investing in such securities will likely carry big risks.

NEW YORK/HONG KONG, May 2 (Reuters) – Where there’s an
investing niche, there’s probably an exchange-traded fund that
exploits it. Mainland China is an exception.

Chinese plans to increase foreign access to its $3 trillion
onshore stock market may pave the way for ETFs that can own
these shares and be sold to foreigners. But getting there is
likely to be a long, difficult process, and investing in such
securities will likely carry big risks.

HONG KONG/LONDON (Reuters) – Hedge fund firm Centaurus Capital is returning external investors all of their money after clashes with them over where the best money-making opportunities lay, a source familiar with the firm said.

The partners of the London-based firm will now only trade using their own cash after investors challenged a decision to focus on so-called “event-driven” strategies such as bets on company takeovers, the source said.

HONG KONG, April 30 (Reuters) – Hong Kong-based Richland
Capital Management Ltd is shutting down its hedge funds despite
outperforming peers, four sources said, an unexpected move for a
successful operator in an Asian industry which is struggling to
raise assets.

Richland is one of Asia’s best-known hedge funds. It manages
$100 million between two funds and advises on an additional $150
million for wealthy clients, according to a fund information
document obtained by Reuters.