KEB Commerz Investment Trust Management, a Seoul-based asset manager with over KRW3 trillion (USD2.4 billion) under management, is gearing up to launch a fixed income fund in the coming weeks that may employ over-the-counter equity options. "We could possibly use derivatives to hedge equity exposure," said Jae Hyun Lee, head of equities in Seoul. He continued that the upcoming fund, with a target size of KRW50-100 billion, will invest 60% of assets in domestic bonds and 40% in convertibles. Lee noted that in the event of rising stock prices whereby it makes sense to convert the CBs to equity, KEB Commerz will consider hedging the equity volatility via single-stock OTC options.
The asset manager recently launched an equity fund geared towards retail clients that may use OTC options as well as listed futures (DW, 9/29). KEB Commerz's main shareholders are Germany's Commerzbank and Korea Exchange Bank.
