Maybe it’s just coincidental, but some market observers may be a wee bit struck by the juxtaposition of reports that falling markets have made hedge funds more attractive, while others are pointing to hedge funds as the cause for sinking global stock markets, especially in Asia. Some brokers call hedge fund activities “vicious selling,” because most of the sell orders are coming from multinational broking houses. And the sell-off, according to the Singapore Press, is the result of hedge funds that invested in commodities getting caught with their shorting of the U.S. dollar down. If that’s the case, says the Press, the Asian markets could be in for a few more dreary, down weeks. Meanwhile, slumping stocks in Sweden have hurt hedge funds there, especially the smaller ones. Given the strong recent stock market performance in Sweden, hedge funds expected a correction somewhere down the line, but were taken by surprise by the suddenness and steepness of the decline. And it hurt. According to Dagens Industri, eight of Sweden’s 11 HFs were down last week, with some off by as much as 2%.