John Hancock Funds Launches New Strategic Income Opportunities Fund

BOSTON, Feb. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- John Hancock Funds said today that its new John Hancock Strategic Income Opportunities Fund (JIPAX) is now available for sale to retail investors through their financial advisers.

"The new fund is an 'unconstrained' version of our popular Strategic Income Fund," said Keith F. Hartstein, President & CEO. "We already had a very strong fixed income product line – more than 80 percent of our fixed income funds have outperformed their Lipper peers over the 3-, 5- and 10-year periods ended 12/31/2009.  With this addition, we're leveraging the capabilities of MFC Global Investment Management to offer investors an intriguing option to help diversify the fixed income portion of their portfolios."

The John Hancock Strategic Income Opportunities Fund seeks a high level of current income by investing at least 80 percent of its total assets in the following types of securities which may be denominated in U.S. dollars or non-U.S. currencies:  foreign government and corporate debt securities from developed and emerging markets, U.S. government and agency securities, domestic high-yield bonds and investment grade corporate bonds, and currency instruments. The fund may also invest in preferred stock and other types of debt securities.

Compared with the John Hancock Strategic Income fund (JHFIX), the new Strategic Income Opportunities fund has the ability to take on greater exposure to foreign currencies, including non-G-7 currencies. It also is expected to have an increased exposure to foreign bonds (sovereign, supranational, other government, and corporate) to take further advantage of opportunities in those sectors.  

The new fund is managed by a team of portfolio managers at MFC Global Investment Management (U.S.), LLC, the Fund's subadviser, under the supervision of John Hancock Advisers, LLC. The Fund's management team includes Daniel Janis III; John Iles; Barry Evans, CFA; and Thomas C. Goggins.

"We believe strong, consistent returns can be generated by investing in a portfolio of domestic, foreign government and corporate bonds and currencies, including emerging markets and high yield securities. By expanding the investment universe to include multiple sectors, we believe we increase our potential to add value while diversifying risk," said Daniel Janis III, lead portfolio manager.

About John Hancock Funds

The Boston-based mutual fund business unit of John Hancock Financial, John Hancock Funds manages more than $53 billion in open-end funds, closed-end funds, private accounts, retirement plans and related party assets for individual and institutional investors as at December 31, 2009.

About John Hancock Financial and Manulife Financial Corporation

John Hancock Financial is a unit of Manulife Financial Corporation, a leading Canadian-based financial services group serving millions of customers in 22 countries and territories worldwide. Operating as Manulife Financial in Canada and in most of Asia, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States, Manulife Financial Corporation offers clients 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$440 billion (US$420 billion) at December 31, 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.

The John Hancock unit, through its insurance companies, comprises one of the largest life insurers in the United States. John Hancock offers a broad range of financial products and services, including life insurance, fixed and variable annuities, fixed products, mutual funds, 401(k) plans, long-term care insurance, college savings, and other forms of business insurance. Additional information about John Hancock may be found at www.johnhancock.com.

SOURCE John Hancock Funds

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