OppenheimerFunds Wins Accolades for Recent Performance

NEW YORK, March 25 /PRNewswire/ -- OppenheimerFunds, Inc. (OFI), a leading asset management company, today announced that three Oppenheimer funds received 2010 Lipper awards as the Best-in-Class in their respective Lipper categories.(1)  Based on Consistent Return, Oppenheimer Developing Markets Fund Y shares was named Best-in-Class among 230 Emerging Markets funds for the three-year period ended 12/31/09; Oppenheimer Gold & Special Minerals Fund A shares was named Best-in-Class among 50 Gold Oriented funds for the five-year period ended 12/31/09; Oppenheimer International Bond Fund Y shares was named Best-in-Class among 53 International Income funds for the five-year period ended 12/31/09.  

"The winning funds are being recognized for their outperformance among peers," said Chris Leavy, CIO of Equities for OFI.  "We are pleased that Lipper has recognized our commitment to staying the course as we help advisors work with investors to reach their financial goals."

Additionally, the Company recently received the  #1 fund family ranking in the Tax-Exempt Bond Funds Category as well as a top-ten company ranking in the Barron's/Lipper "Best Mutual-Fund Families" survey(2), reflecting the Company's strong performance across several asset categories.  

In late January 2010, the Barron's/Lipper "Best Mutual-Fund Families" survey awarded OFI's Rochester municipal bond fund family the #1 ranking among tax-exempt bond fund families.  Led by Dan Loughran, the Rochester team's time-tested investment approach seeks to take advantage of long-term, yield-driven total returns for investors.  The research-intensive, security-specific and value-oriented approach has produced strong relative results over time.  OppenheimerFunds was also ranked among the top 10 mutual fund families for 2009 in the Company ratings component of the Barron's/Lipper "Best Mutual-Fund Families" survey, ranking #7 out of 61 mutual fund families, based on 2009 performance.  

"These performance awards are a reflection of the strong results that have been produced by our entrepreneurial investment teams," said Art Steinmetz, CIO of Fixed Income for OFI.  "Our unique investment philosophies, including the Rochester strategy, reinforce our commitment as we seek to continually deliver investment excellence and consistently strong long-term track records."

To qualify for the Barron's/Lipper Best Mutual-Fund Survey, a group must have at least three funds in Lipper's general U.S.-stock category, as well as one in world equity, which combines global and international funds.  They also require at least one mixed-equity fund, which holds stocks and bonds.  Fund shops also must have at least two taxable-bond funds and one tax-exempt offering.

About OppenheimerFunds, Inc.

OppenheimerFunds, Inc. is one of the nation's largest and most respected investment management companies.  At December 31, 2009, OppenheimerFunds, Inc., including subsidiaries, managed more than $160 billion in assets, including mutual funds having nearly 6 million shareholder accounts.  

Before investing in any of the Oppenheimer funds, investors should carefully consider a fund's investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. Fund prospectuses, and if available, summary prospectuses, contain this and other information about the fund, and may be obtained by asking your financial advisor, calling us at 1.800.525.7048 or visiting our website at www.oppenheimerfunds.com. Read prospectuses, and if available, summary prospectuses, carefully before investing.

Shares of mutual funds are not deposits or obligations of any bank, are not guaranteed by any bank, are not insured by the FDIC or any other agency, and involve investment risks, including the possible loss of the principal amount invested.  

OppenheimerFunds is widely recognized as a leader in educating and empowering investors and for its award-winning customer service.

OppenheimerFunds, Inc., Two World Financial Center, 225 Liberty Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10281.  OppenheimerFunds, Inc. is a member of the MassMutual Financial Group and is not affiliated with Oppenheimer & Co, Inc. or Oppenheimer Capital.

OppenheimerFunds are distributed by OppenheimerFunds Distributor, Inc. Two World Financial Center, 225 Liberty Street, New York, NY, 10281.

Bonds are exposed to credit and interest rate risks (when rates rise, bond/fund prices generally fall). Foreign securities entail special risks (such as currency fluctuations and political uncertainties) and may have higher expenses and volatility.  Lower rated ("junk") bonds are more at risk of default than other bond investments and are subject to liquidity risk.  Large sector holdings may expose investors to greater volatility and special risks associated with that sector. Investments in emerging markets and growth stocks may be especially volatile.  Derivative instruments, securities whose values depend on the performance of an underlying security or asset, entail potentially higher volatility and risk of loss compared to traditional stock or bond investments. A portion of a municipal bond fund's distributions may be subject to tax and may increase taxes for investors subject to AMT.  Capital gains distributions are taxable as capital gains.

(1) Lipper awards are granted annually to the funds in each Lipper classification that achieve the highest score for Consistent Return, a measure of funds' historical risk-adjusted returns, measured in local currency, relative to peers.  Winners are selected using the Lipper Leader rating for Consistent Return for funds with at least 36 months of performance history as of 12/31/09.  Awards are presented for the highest Lipper Leader for Consistent Return within each eligible classification over 3, 5 or 10 years.  Best-in-Class awards for the five-year period ending 12/31/09 are for: Class A shares of Oppenheimer Gold & Special Minerals Fund among 50 Gold Oriented funds and Class Y shares of Oppenheimer International Bond Fund among 53 International Income funds.  A Best-in-Class award for the three-year period ending 12/31/09 is for: Class Y shares of Oppenheimer Developing Markets Fund among 230 Emerging Markets funds.

Other share classes may have different performance and expense characteristics.  Class Y shares are not available for purchase by all investors.  Although Lipper makes reasonable efforts to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the data contained herein, the accuracy is not guaranteed by Lipper. Lipper awards are not intended to predict future results. Past performance does not guarantee future results

(2) Source: Barron's/Lipper Special Report, "Best Mutual Fund Families," February 1, 2010. The Barron's/Lipper Best Fund Families survey identified and ranked 61 fund families (from Lipper's universe of 1,455 fund families) that had at least three funds in Lipper's general U.S. stock category, one world equity fund (global or international), one mixed-equity fund, two taxable bond funds and one tax-exempt bond fund in 2009.  Lipper calculated each fund's net total return for the year ended December 31, 2009, and adjusted those returns for 12b-1 fees in 2009, without considering sales charges.  Each fund in the survey was given a preliminary percentile ranking in its category. That ranking measured how a fund compared with its peer "universe," as tracked by Lipper, not just the funds in the survey.  Individual fund scores were then multiplied by the 2009 weighting of their general classification.  Those fund scores were then totaled, creating an overall score and ranking for each fund family in each category. OppenheimerFunds ranked 7/61, 39/54 and 20/48 for the one, five and ten year periods, respectively, ending 12/31/09.  Past performance does not guarantee future results.  

SOURCE OppenheimerFunds, Inc.

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