National Bank Investments Wins Ten Fundata FundGrade A+® Awards

MONTREAL, Feb. 2, 2024 /CNW/ - National Bank Investments Inc. ("NBI") won ten awards at the Fundata 2023 FundGrade A+^® Awards ceremony held on February 1, 2024. These awards recognize Canadian investment funds that have maintained an exceptional performance rating over the entire previous calendar year.

"We are very proud to receive these FundGrade awards which demonstrate the success of our open architecture strategy in achieving exceptional returns. Our close collaboration with some of the world's best portfolio managers allows us to offer Canadian investors high-performing investment solutions," said Martin Felton, Vice President, National Sales at NBI.

NBI was recognized for the superior performance of the following investment solutions in their respective categories:

NBI Investment Solutions	CIFSC Category	Fund Count	FundGrade Start Date	FundGrade Calculation Date
NBI Liquid Alternatives ETF (NALT)	Alternative Multi-Strategy	30	2020-01-31	2023-12-31
NBI Sustainable Canadian Equity ETF (NSCE)	Canadian Equity	360	2021-01-31	2023-12-31
NBI Diversified Emerging Markets Equity Fund	Emerging Markets Equity	146	2016-01-31	2023-12-31
NBI Global Equity Fund	Global Equity	1095	2014-01-31	2023-12-31
NBI Innovators Fund	Global Equity	1095	2014-01-31	2023-12-31
NBI Quebec Growth Fund	Canadian Small/Mid Cap Equity	116	2014-01-31	2023-12-31
NBI U.S. Equity Fund	U.S. Equity	794	2014-01-31	2023-12-31
NBI U.S. Equity Private Portfolio	U.S. Equity	794	2016-01-31	2023-12-31
NBI U.S. High Conviction Equity Private Portfolio	U.S. Equity	794	2016-01-31	2023-12-31
NBI International High Conviction Equity Private Portfolio	International Equity	370	2016-01-31	2023-12-31

FundGrade A+^® is used with permission from Fundata Canada Inc., all rights reserved. The annual FundGrade A+^® Awards are presented by Fundata Canada Inc. to recognize the "best of the best" among Canadian investment funds. The FundGrade A+^® calculation is supplemental to the monthly FundGrade ratings and is calculated at the end of each calendar year. The FundGrade rating system evaluates funds based on their risk-adjusted performance, measured by Sharpe Ratio, Sortino Ratio, and Information Ratio. The score for each ratio is calculated individually, covering all time periods from 2 to 10 years. The scores are then weighted equally in calculating a monthly FundGrade. The top 10% of funds earn an A Grade; the next 20% of funds earn a B Grade; the next 40% of funds earn a C Grade; the next 20% of funds receive a D Grade; and the lowest 10% of funds receive an E Grade. To be eligible, a fund must have received a FundGrade rating every month in the previous year. The FundGrade A+^® uses a GPA-style calculation, where each monthly FundGrade from "A" to "E" receives a score from 4 to 0, respectively. A fund's average score for the year determines its GPA. Any fund with a GPA of 3.5 or greater is awarded a FundGrade A+^® Award. For more information, see www.FundGradeAwards.com. Although Fundata makes every effort to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the data contained herein, the accuracy is not guaranteed by Fundata. FundGrade ratings are subject to change every month.

• Performance for the NBI Liquid Alternatives ETF (NALT) for the period ended December 31, 2023, is as follows: - 0.46% (1 year), 4.86% (3 years), and 6.34% since inception (2019-02-08).
• Performance for the NBI Sustainable Canadian Equity ETF (NSCE) for the period ended December 31, 2023, is as follows: 14.40% (1 year), 11.02% (3 years), and 11.66% since inception (2020-03-04).
• Performance for the NBI Diversified Emerging Markets Equity Fund (Advisor Series) for the period ended December 31, 2023, is as follows: 6.38% (1 year), -4.91% (3 years), 5.49% (5 years), and 5.41% since inception (2018-12-10).
• Performance for the NBI Global Equity Fund (Advisor Series) for the period ended December 31, 2023, is as follows: 14.81% (1 year), 6.81% (3 years), 11.80% (5 years), and 11.15% (10 years).
• Performance for the NBI Innovators Fund (Advisor Series) for the period ended December 31, 2023, is as follows: 29.26% (1 year), 8.75% (3 years), 19.13% (5 years), and 17.02% (10 years).
• Performance for the NBI Quebec Growth Fund (Advisor Series) for the period ended December 31, 2023, is as follows: 13.32% (1 year), 7.56% (3 years), 12.01% (5 years), and 10.36% (10 years).
• Performance for the NBI U.S. Equity Fund (Advisor Series) for the period ended December 31, 2023, is as follows: 17.17% (1 year), 10.74% (3 years), 14.91% (5 years), and 14.38% (10 years).
• Performance for the NBI U.S. Equity Private Portfolio (Advisor Series) for the period ended December 31, 2023, is as follows: 28.73% (1 year), 5.75% (2 years), 14.43% (3 years), and 15.22% since inception (2015-07-14).
• Performance for the NBI U.S. High Conviction Equity Private Portfolio (Advisor Series) for the period ended December 31, 2023, is as follows: 17.94% (1 year), 2.72% (2 years), 11.30% (3 years), and 13.03% since inception (2015-07-14).
• Performance for the NBI International High Conviction Equity Private Portfolio (Advisor Series) for the period ended December 31, 2023, is as follows: 17.33% (1 year), -0.29% (2 years), 4.46% (3 years), and 8.08% since inception (2015-07-14).

About NBI Funds

NBI Funds (the "Funds") are offered by National Bank Investments Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of National Bank of Canada. Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with mutual fund investments. Please read the prospectus of the Funds before investing. The indicated rates of return are based on the historical annual compounded total returns including changes in securities value and reinvestment of all distributions and do not take into account sales, redemption, distribution or optional charges or income taxes payable by any securityholder that would have reduced returns. The Funds' securities are not insured by the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation or by any other government deposit insurer. The Funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently, and past performance may not be repeated.

About NBI ETFs

NBI exchange-traded funds (the "NBI ETFs") are offered by National Bank Investments Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of National Bank of Canada. Management fees, brokerage fees and expenses all may be associated with investments in NBI ETFs. Please read the prospectus or ETF Facts document(s) before investing. NBI ETFs are not guaranteed, their values change frequently, and past performance may not be repeated. NBI ETF units are bought and sold at market price on a stock exchange and brokerage commissions will reduce returns. NBI ETFs do not seek to return any predetermined amount at maturity. The NBI ETFs' securities are not insured by the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation or by any other government deposit insurer.

The performance of an NBI ETF does not match the performance of the index. The indicated rates of return are the historical total returns for the periods including changes in unit value and reinvestment of all distributions and do not take into account sales, redemption, commission charges or income taxes payable by any unitholder that would have reduced returns.

About National Bank Investments Inc.

National Bank Investments Inc. ("NBI") is an investment funds management firm committed to manufacturing and offering mutual funds, investment solutions and services designed to help Canadian investors pursue their financial goals. As at December 31, 2023, assets under management in NBI products were valued at over $81.86 billion.

Guided by an open architecture strategy, NBI is dedicated to providing diverse solutions to meet the evolving needs of its clients. NBI consistently strives to be recognized as a key partner by combining innovation and excellence. NBI's role is not limited to administrative aspects of management; NBI Advisory Services and its registered representatives form a team of specialists who provide information and advice to help advisors build portfolios adapted to their clients' financial needs. Follow NBI's activities at nbinvestments.ca or via social media such as YouTube and LinkedIn.

National Bank Investments is a signatory of the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment, a member of Canada's Responsible Investment Association, and a founding participant in the Climate Engagement Canada initiative.

About National Bank of Canada

With $424 billion in assets as at October 31, 2023, National Bank of Canada is one of Canada's six systemically important banks. The Bank has approximately 30,000 employees in knowledge-intensive positions and operates through three business segments in Canada: Personal and Commercial Banking, Wealth Management and Financial Markets. A fourth segment, U.S. Specialty Finance and International, complements the growth of its domestic operations. Its securities are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: NA). Follow the Bank's activities at nbc.ca or via social media.

SOURCE National Bank of Canada

Stéphanie Rousseau, Senior Advisor, Public Affairs, National Bank of Canada, Tel.: [phone], [email protected]