OP Investment Management (OPIM), Asia's leading hedge fund platform, has taken on Kaison Asian Small & Mid Cap Fund SP. The fund, which is Cayman-domiciled, starts trading on 25th February. It is the flagship of Hong Kongbased Kaison Asset Management, founded last year by ex-ICBC VP Winnoc Lui.

Mr. Lui will target investments within U.S. and Asian ex Japan markets, and will aim to achieve long-term absolute returns.

"The launch coincides with the market timing, matching the combination of market recovery catalysed by policy and long-term drivers of MSCI A share inclusion," Mr. Lui tells Opalesque . "Aside from absolute returns, the goal is to provide allocators with regional exposure to the small and mid-cap space, using global portfolio management standards. Small to mid-cap companies are undervalued and mispriced in Asia ex Japan markets, and the PEG (price/earnings to growth) ratios of these firms are generally lower than in developed nations. We believe investing in companies with a high earnings growth profile and a specified set of catalysts will bring us better investment returns."

Mr. Lui's strategy draws on more than 15 years in the financial industry, the last seven in portfolio management and advisory. Before starting Kaison, he was the vice president of the asset management department at ICBC International Holdings, managing US$300m with a focus on Hong Kong and China equities. Prior to this, he was an investment advisor at OPIM, and he began his career at Goldman Sachs and KE Absolute.

Kaison's long/short portfolio will focus on small and mid-cap companies and derivatives such as index futures for hedging. The concentration will primarily be in equities. Furthermore, the fund will apply a thematic approach to its investment process, deploy a top-down data driven model and use fundamental research to identify opportunities.

A huge potential

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This article was published in Opalesque's New Managers a top-down monthly analysis, news and research publication on the global emerging manager space.