Weekly Asia News (Friday)

Joint venture Ping An Russell Investments is preparing to launch China’s first multi-manager fund for domestic high-net-worth individuals early in the third quarter of this year. »

Newedge has hosted a seminar in Chicago for senior executives from nearly 40 of China’s top futures commission merchants on opportunities in today’s international futures market. »

People moves are the initial focus of this week’s Asia blog, in what has been a fairly quiet seven days for Asia’s hedge fund industry. »

Indus Valley Partners (IVP), a provider of technology solutions to alternative asset managers, has expanded its New York City and Noida, India offices.  »

Alp Ercil’s Asia Pacific fund has officially become the region’s largest hedge fund launch for 2012. The former Asia head of New York-based Perry Capital has closed the fund to new capital this week after raising an impressive USD940million according to a source familiar with the matter, reported Reuters. Ercil’s success follows that of other former hedge fund executives including Carl Huttenlocher, former Asia head of Highbridge Capital Management, who launched Myriad Asset Management in Hong Kong last December and who, earlier this year, had already reached USD900million in AUM. »

Japan-focused hedge funds shed 1.5 per cent in the second quarter of 2012 as the Nikkei fell over 10 per cent reported Hedge Fund Research. »

Hedge funds investing in Japan/developed Asian markets quickly shifted to defensive positioning in Q2 2012, protecting investor capital as Japanese equities plunged over 10 per cent in the period, according to the latest HFR Asian Hedge Fund Industry Report. »

Despite just 68 new hedge funds launching in Asia in the first six months of 2012 according to EurekaHedge, compared to 107 in the boom year of 2007, prime brokers in the »

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has implemented an enhanced regulatory regime for fund management companies (FMCs). »

Gottex Fund Management’s proposed share buyback plan was approved by shareholders at the alternative asset management group’s extraordinary general meeting on 8 August 2012. »