Asia mutual fund growth regaining pole position

After suffering the triple whammy of SARS, war and recession last year, asset growth in mutual funds in Asia ex-Japan is returning to its traditional rate of double the rest of the world's average. Deutsche Asset Management expects substantial growth in the roughly 11,000 funds in Asia (not including China or India) this year. Today assets in Asian funds are only 21% of the world's total, but that will pick up quickly, says Choy Peng-Wah, chief executive at DeAM Asia in Singapore. Q…