Weekly Asia News (Friday)

Torstone Technology, a provider of securities and derivatives processing software to the global financial markets, is expanding its financial technology business in the Asian markets. »

Woori Absolute Partners (WAP), the Singapore-based alternative investment platform of Woori Investment & Securities (WIS), and NewAlpha Asset Management, the Paris-based hedge fund incubation specialist, have announced the first strategic investment of the Woori NewAlpha Fund with Mosaic Asset Management, a new Singapore-based registered fund management company focused on Asian equity strategies. »

Asian shares fell and the Australian dollar eased on Thursday as sentiment was shaken by talk across global markets that a hedge fund had been liquidating large positions in commodities, as well as worries the Federal Reserve could slow its bond buying programme. »

SYZ Asset Management, the institutional asset management arm of the Swiss banking Group SYZ & Co, is now offering management of Japanese equities as part of its range of institutional strategies. »

Eurex Exchange has received confirmation from the South Korean Financial Services Commission to offer its full suite of products in South Korea without objection. »

Hedge funds posted strong returns in January on the back of rising risk appetite and rallying global equity markets. The Eurekahedge Hedge Fund Index was up 1.98 per cent during the month, while the MSCI World Index gained 4.66 per cent. »

Eurex Exchange, the international derivatives marketplace, has admitted its first directly connected trading participant in Japan – Nissan Century Securities. »

The year ahead will likely remain sharply challenging for Asian hedge fund managers looking to raise new investor capital. But the “stars” of recent years that have lodged standout gains will continue to see moderate inflows from their traditional investors – US institutions – while new entrants are turning to ultra-high net worth investors, family offices and their own friends amid a dearth of institutional seed capital. »

The Asian hedge fund industry posted strong gains to conclude 2012, led by hedge funds investing in China, India and Japan, as capital invested in the Asian hedge fund industry increased by 7.5 per cent for 2012, according to the latest HFR Asian Hedge Fund Industry Report. »

TAIFEX, the Taiwan Futures Exchange, and Eurex Exchange, the international derivatives marketplace, have announced a product cooperation to trade and clear derivatives based on the TAIEX index, one of the most heavily traded Asian equity indexes. »