U.K. asset manager Threadneedle has launched its first Asian-focused hedge fund to complement the firm’s nine other hedge fund offerings.

The new vehicle, the Threadneedle Asia Crescendo Fund, is being managed by Jan de Bruijn. According to de Bruijn, the fund will generally have a long bias, but will be able to switch to a short bias as market conditions dictate. 

“Due to the sheer scale of the region, analyst coverage can be patchy beyond the well known names, and this provides a fertile hunting ground for us given our emphasis upon primary research and fieldwork,” de Bruijn told the Financial Times. “In the course of this research we find lots of valuation anomalies in the region. The long-short structure increases our ability to turn those anomalies into alpha for clients."

The firm’s first hedge fund was launched in 2000, but its latest offering is its first foray into the Asian markets.

“The rapid development of Asian markets presents good opportunities for skilled stock pickers, both on the long and short side, so expanding the Crescendo range into Asia unlocks real potential for our investors,” said Lorin Gresser, head of product strategy for the firm.