Capturing APAC Investment Opportunities

Interview with: Martin Chen, Vice President Corporate Trust Department, Chinatrust Commercial Bank

Singapore, September 13, 2010 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Whilst there are many alternative asset class investment opportunities in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, investors still need to be careful of how they select the funds to invest in, recommends Martin Chen, Vice President Corporate Trust Department at Chinatrust Commercial Bank. They should scrutinise the hedge fund manager’s background and perform due diligence, in order to take advantage of all the jewels the region has in store. A speaker at the marcus evans APAC Alternative Investments Summit 2010 taking place in Singapore, 27 - 29 October, Chen uncovers the most attractive APAC investments, the strategies for successful investing and the developments to monitor.

Where are the opportunities in the alternative asset class?

Martin Chen: There are many opportunities in alternative investments. If you look at the panel industry, Taiwan has AUO while Korea has Samsung, each with different strengths and prices, therefore offering opportunities for long-short equity investing. Currency overlay products are also attractive as many Asian currencies, such as the Renminbi, have the potential to depreciate. Investors should hold onto these assets.

Agricultural products, energy, and rare earth metals are also appealing; ore earth is a key material for electric vehicle batteries, and might be worthy of review.

What best practices would you recommend?

Martin Chen: Hedge fund alternative asset classes should be part of investment portfolios for diversification purposes; this is why Taiwanese pension funds are considering investing in them. Nevertheless, investors need to make the effort in understanding more about the hedge fund manager’s background. As there are so many of them, they should also be careful in selecting investment funds and managers.

Regarding strategies, long-short equity will be popular in the APAC region, as well as the 130/30 strategy. China opened its futures exchange and also allowed short selling earlier this year; investors should monitor these developments.

What does the future hold for APAC investors?

Martin Chen: Investors need to pay attention to the economic integration of Asian countries. The trade agreements between China and other APAC countries will significantly facilitate trading in the region. A milestone was made in June when an agreement between Taiwan and China was signed.

The APAC region is the fastest growing in the world and in the spotlight of hedge fund investors. China is the growth engine facilitating the economic growth of other Asian countries. Chinese investors are increasingly interested in overseas markets, and it is expected that they will play an important role in hedge fund investments. Although there are some restrictions to investing there, those will gradually be relaxed in the future.

Transparency remains a key issue for hedge fund investors, and this is why many countries require disclosures. Institutional investors in Taiwan are complaining about the difficulty of performing due diligence on hedge funds, and even thinking about the possibility of outsourcing. The number of hedge fund managers is increasing and this makes due diligence even more difficult. The industry needs more self-discipline in order to win the trust of fund investors.

Contact: Sarin Kouyoumdjian-Gurunlian, Press Manager, marcus evans, Summits Division

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Aboutthe APAC Alternative Investments Summit 2010

This unique forum will take place at the Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, 27 - 29 October 2010. Offering much more than any conference, exhibition or trade show, this exclusive meeting will bring together esteemed industry thought leaders and solution providers to a highly focused and interactive networking event. The summit includes presentations on the latest investment trends, optimal asset allocation and portfolio diversification strategies for competitive advantage.

For more information please send an email toinfo@marcusevanscy.com or visit the event website athttp://www.apacaisummit.com/MartinChenInterview

Please note that the summit is a closed business event and the number of participants strictly limited.

About marcus evans Summits

marcus evans Summits are high level business forums for the world’s leading decision-makers to meet, learn and discuss strategies and solutions. Held at exclusive locations around the world, these events provide attendees with a unique opportunity to individually tailor their schedules of keynote presentations, think tanks, seminars and one-to-one business meetings. For more information, please visit http://www.marcusevans.com

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