LGM Investments Senior Portfolio Manager Christopher Darling says OPEC are putting pressure on U.S. shale producers by maintaining current crude oil production levels.

SHOWS: HONG KONG, CHINA (JANUARY 8, 2015) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

1. SLATE, READING (English): 'THE RECENT FALL IN OIL PRICES HAS LED TO A LOT OF MARKET VOLATILITY. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT?'

2. LGM INVESTMENTS, CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER FOR ASIA AND SENIOR PORTFOLIO MANAGER, CHRISTOPHER DARLING, SAYING:

'Yes it is I suppose like all of these things it is not necessarily the direction of the movement but the speed of the movement that has been the real issue and the real concern for global markets. In terms of the fundamentals behind the oil price I mean, last year we were I think looking at a situation of modest global oversupply. So a downward trend in the oil price was by no means unreasonable. It is rather the scale and the violence of that downward move that has upset people and continues to overhang markets. But, as we know, it's a truism in all global markets that prices overshoot and undershoot and we're clearly in an overshoot situation now and that environment has perhaps been encouraged by the willingness of OPEC to maintain production at current levels. Perhaps with a view to putting pressure on the U.S. shale producers.'

3. SLATE, READING (English): 'WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE RECENT FUND FLOWS IN ASIA? AND WHICH MARKETS DO YOU THINK STAND OUT?'

4. LGM INVESTMENTS, CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER FOR ASIA AND SENIOR PORTFOLIO MANAGER, CHRISTOPHER DARLING, SAYING:

'Well I think if the risk off mode is sustained then we see once again the flight to safety which I suppose at the margins we are witnessing now with the direction of global bond yields, or certainly U.S. bond yields. India of course, just to focus on India, India of course is a tremendous beneficiary of the weaker oil price as we all know. India imports the vast majority of its energy needs. We also have that additional sensitivity in the fiscal and current account position because of the domestic subsidy regimes. Although of course these are all changing under the new Modi government. But a weaker oil price is tremendously positive for consumers in India and tremendously positive for the outlook for inflation in India which is already, as we know, on a significantly improving track. And that of course is true of many countries within the Asia region. India perhaps I think stands out as one of the greatest beneficiaries, Thailand is also a significant beneficiary and many other markets the same. So, although we are fixated at the moment on the issue of volatility and perhaps what the oil price is signalling in terms of global growth. What we need to think about at some stage is actually the upside rising from a weaker oil price and that means lower costs for Asian consumers and stronger fiscal and current account positions for markets like India, Indonesia, Thailand and so on.'