CQS launches $160 mln volatility hedge fund

HONG KONG, Sept 4 (Reuters) - UK hedge fund manager CQS said on Thursday it had launched a new fund that will aim to profit from the volatility that has gripped global stock markets for much of the past year.

CQS, which had $9.6 billion of assets under management at the start of August, said it had launched CQS Global Volatility Fund with an initial size of US$160 million.

The fund will use futures and options to trade volatility, with a primary focus on equity market indexes and on individual equities within the world's major stock markets.

"The Fund aims to profit from valuation anomalies in equity volatility and from dislocations in markets. CQS believes that equity market volatility provides a consistent opportunity set to capture profits for investors," CQS said in a statement.

The UK firm said senior portfolio managers Andrew Song and Amir Kooros will lead a team of 9 derivative investment professionals.

(Reporting by Jeffrey Hodgson; Editing by Keiron Henderson)