This is pretty amazing: In just two years, the share of trading volume in Asia accounted for by hedge funds [1] has grown from 5 percent to almost 25 percent. Commissions accounted for by hedge funds are also at about 25 percent. The rise of hedge funds in Asia may usher in a new era of trading. For one thing, these funds prefer electronic trading, and many think we'll see greater adoption region-wide. This is an opportunity for U.S. exchanges and their Asian partners, the TSE in the case of the NYSE. These funds represent a lot of liquidity, and it remains to be seen what will happen if the markets stagger, which is hardly inconceivable. This may be "hot" and it might quickly find its way to another part of the globe--we'll see. We saw this back in the late 1990s currency crisis.

For more:
- here's a brief [2] from Financial News online
- more hedge fund news [3]