Korea regulators seek to spur hedge-fund industry

``Under the new rules, hedge funds will be able to take on up to four times in leverage against its total assets and carry derivatives trading positions of up to four times their assets. Further, the regulator will modify regulations to allow securities firms to act as prime brokers for hedge funds more efficiently. The initiative is part of the regulator's broad aim to push forward the development of the domestic finance industry, which has lagged behind other domestic sectors in terms of sophistication. ''