Market watchers attributed the stellar performance of stock investment funds for Asian emerging nations to their roaring equity markets, backed by brisk exports and domestic demand amid a global economic recovery.

"Emerging markets have shown a stronger recovery pace than major economies this year, with their stock markets rising at a faster clip," said Oh On-soo, a KB Securities analyst. "That's a different pattern from the post-2008 global financial crisis, when advanced nations led the market rally."

Asian stock markets have far outperformed bourses in advanced economies. The Vietnam Ho Chi Minh Stock Index has soared 41 percent this year, the biggest gain in the world. The Hong Kong Hang Seng Index has climbed 36 percent; India's benchmark Sensex, 26.5 percent; and South Korea's benchmark KOSPI, 25.6 percent.

Investment funds for Russian stocks, which were last year's top performer with a return of close to 50 percent, have yielded a mere 6.7 percent this year, placing last in country rankings. Russia's benchmark stock index has edged up 1.2 percent this year.

By product, investment funds for Chinese stocks have performed the best, with their returns hovering up about 60 percent, according to KG Zeroin. (Yonhap)