Manulife Mutual Funds launches yield opportunities fund

TORONTO , Jan. 7 /CNW/ - Manulife Mutual Funds, a division of Elliott & Page Limited, has launched the Manulife Yield Opportunities Fund aimed to generate income and long-term capital growth through a diversified portfolio consisting of yield-oriented Canadian and global fixed-income and equity securities.

"We are continuously enhancing our investment line-up to ensure it provides the most competitive access to opportunities as they arise in the marketplace," said Jeff Ray , Assistant Vice President, Mutual Fund Products.

Managed by Terry Carr and Alan Wicks , the Fund seeks to help investors achieve higher yields in today's low interest rate environment and is designed to provide:

    
    -   Attractive income through a targeted distribution of $0.05 cents per
        unit, per month - an initial distribution yield of approximately 6
        percent
    -   Exposure to a broad portfolio of attractive yield opportunities from
        anywhere across the globe
    -   Flexibility to allow the managers to seek out securities from various
        yield-producing asset classes and geographic regions
    

Terry Carr , Vice President and Managing Director of Fixed Income for MFC Global Investment Management is the lead manager and is responsible for overall asset allocation and the Fund's fixed income component. Co-manager Alan Wicks , Vice President and Senior Portfolio Manager of MFC Global Investment Management is responsible for the equity component. The managers have over 40 years of combined industry experience and were both recognized at the 2009 Lipper Fund Awards for consistently strong risk-adjusted returns for the Manulife Structured Bond Class (5 years) and Manulife Monthly High Income Fund (10 years).

"MFC Global Investment Management is a proven asset manager with over 300 investment professionals on the ground worldwide, coupled with risk mitigation strategies," said Jeff Ray , Assistant Vice President, Mutual Fund Products. "The Fixed Income team is able to draw upon Manulife's global resources providing superior depth and experience in fixed income," added Mr. Ray .

The mandate is available in two versions. The Manulife Yield Opportunities Fund (trust version) is ideally suited for investors seeking regular income distributions, while the Manulife Yield Opportunities Class (corporate class version) is designed for investors who are looking to minimize taxable income outside of their registered plans.

    
    About Manulife Investments
    --------------------------
    

Manulife Investments is the brand name describing certain Canadian subsidiaries and operating divisions of Manulife Financial Corporation that offer personal wealth management products and services in Canada . As one of Canada's leading integrated financial services providers, Manulife Investments offers a variety of products and services including segregated funds, mutual funds, annuities and guaranteed investment contracts.

    
    About MFC Global Investment Management
    --------------------------------------
    

MFC Global Investment Management(R) is the asset management division of Manulife Financial. MFC Global Investment Management's diversified group of companies provides comprehensive asset management solutions for institutional investors, investment funds and individuals in key markets around the world. This investment expertise extends across a full range of asset classes including equity, fixed income and alternative investments such as oil and gas, real estate, timber, farmland, as well as asset allocation strategies.

MFC Global Investment Management has investment offices in the United States , Canada , the United Kingdom , Japan , Hong Kong , and throughout Asia. As at October 31, 2009 , assets under management for institutional clients were approximately Cdn$108 billion.

MFC Global Investment Management(R), Manulife and the block design are trademarks of The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company and are used by it and its affiliates including Manulife Financial Corporation.

    
    About Manulife Financial
    ------------------------
    

Manulife Financial is a leading Canadian-based financial services group serving millions of customers in 22 countries and territories worldwide. Operating as Manulife Financial in Canada and Asia, and primarily through John Hancock in the United States , the Company offers customers a diverse range of financial protection products and wealth management services through its extensive network of employees, agents and distribution partners. Funds under management by Manulife Financial and its subsidiaries were Cdn$437 billion (US$407 billion) as at September 30, 2009 .

Manulife Financial Corporation trades as 'MFC' on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under '945' on the SEHK. Manulife Financial can be found on the Internet at www.manulife.com.

For further information: Media contact: Tom Nunn, Manulife Financial, [phone], [email protected]