MutualFundWire.com: MFS Adds to its Fund Lineup
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Wednesday, March 30, 2011
MFS Adds to its Fund Lineup
MFS Investment Management [see profile] has launched a pair of funds to broaden its lineup. The firm today unveiled the MFS Global Multi-Asset Fund and the MFS Absolute Return Fund.
MFS Global Multi-Asset Fund invests in a mix of asset classes including global equities, real estate, commodities, and global corporate and government bonds. The Absolute Return Fund bets primarily on debt instruments.
"We believe these new funds meet evolving long-term investor needs for more consistent returns by combining diversification, flexibility, and active security selection," stated James Jessee, president of MFS Fund Distributors, Inc., the U.S. mutual fund sales division of MFS.
For Immediate Release Contact: John Reilly, 617.954.5305
Dan Flaherty, 617.954.4256
MFS Launches Global Multi-Asset and Absolute Return Mutual Funds
Innovative Products Expand Firm's Line of Multi-Asset Class Funds
Meet Growing Demand for Diversified, Lower-Volatility Funds
BOSTON (March 30, 2011) – MFS Investment Management® (MFS®) has launched MFS® Global Multi-Asset Fund (GLMAX) and MFS® Absolute Return Fund (MRNAX). The funds represent the latest additions to MFS' broad line of asset allocation funds and meet the growing demand from advisors and investors for diversified, outcome-oriented, single-fund investment solutions.
"A growing trend for more than a decade, advisors and investors have sought new solutions for a greater level of diversification and risk management within a single fund," said James A. Jessee, president of MFS Fund Distributors, Inc., the U.S. mutual fund sales division of MFS. "More and more, investors are looking for investment solutions that have the potential to provide attractive risk-adjusted returns in all environments with less volatility than the market."
MFS Global Multi-Asset Fund's investment objective is to seek total return. MFS seeks to achieve the fund’s objective by 1.) strategically allocating the fund’s assets to a mix of asset classes (e.g., global equities, real estate-related investments, commodity-related investments, and global corporate and government bonds, including inflation-adjusted debt instruments), 2.) tactically managing the fund’s exposure to asset classes, markets, and currencies and 3.) selecting individual securities within each asset class.
MFS Absolute Return Fund's investment objective is to seek total return. MFS employs an absolute return investment approach, seeking to earn a positive return regardless of market conditions. MFS seeks to achieve the fund’s objective by generating returns from a combination of individual security selection of primarily debt instruments and a tactical asset allocation overlay to manage the fund’s exposure to asset classes, markets, and currencies.
"We believe these new funds meet evolving long-term investor needs for more consistent returns by combining diversification, flexibility, and active security selection," Jessee added.
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MFS Global Multi-Asset Fund is team managed by members of MFS' Quantitative Solutions team: Natalie Shapiro, Ph.D., Benjamin Nastou, CFA, and Linda Zhang, Ph.D. They have responsibility for the fund's asset allocation decisions and also provide general oversight to a team of investment professionals responsible for individual security selection. Shapiro, a quantitative research analyst, joined MFS in 1997, is co-manager of quantitative strategies at MFS and has more than 14 years of experience. Nastou joined MFS in 2000 and is a portfolio manager and quantitative analyst. Linda Zhang joined MFS in 2010 as a portfolio manager and quantitative research analyst. She has more than 13 years of investment industry experience, most recently serving as a portfolio manager at BlackRock.
James Calmas manages MFS Absolute Return Fund, supported by a team of analysts from MFS' Quantitative Solutions team. Calmas is a fixed-income portfolio manager, has been with MFS since 1988, and has more than 24 years of experience. Shapiro, Nastou, and Zhang manage the tactical overlay for the fund as well.
The funds are available for purchase through financial advisors and other intermediaries and are available in multiple share classes.
MFS now offers 16 multi-asset class mutual funds, including the MFS® Lifetime® series of target date funds and the MFS Allocation series of target risk funds. In addition, other multi-asset products MFS offers include MFS® Diversified Target Return Fund, MFS® Diversified Income Fund, MFS® Total Return Fund, and MFS® Global Total Return Fund. The firm launched its first multi-asset fund, MFS Total Return Fund, in October 1970, among the first of its kind in the U.S. mutual fund industry.
Important Risk Considerations for MFS Global Multi-Asset Fund
The fund may not achieve its objective and/or you could lose money on your investment in the fund. Stock markets and investments in individual stocks are volatile and can decline significantly in response to issuer, market, economic, political, regulatory, geopolitical, and other conditions. Investments in debt instruments may decline in value as the result of increases in interest rates, declines in the credit quality of the issuer, borrower, counterparty or underlying collateral, or changes in economic, political, issuer-specific, or other conditions. Certain types of debt instruments can be more sensitive to these factors and therefore more volatile. Investments in foreign markets through issuers or currencies can involve greater risk and volatility than U.S. investments because of adverse market, economic, political, regulatory, geopolitical, or other conditions. Investments in derivatives can be used to take both long and short positions, be highly volatile, result in leverage (which can magnify losses), and involve risks in addition to the risks of the underlying indicator(s) on which the derivative is based, such as counterparty and liquidity risk. MFS’ assessment of the risk/return potential of asset classes, markets, and currencies and its adjustments to the fund’s exposure to asset classes, markets, and currencies through the use of derivatives can be incorrect or can lead to an investment focus that results in the fund underperforming other funds that invest in similar investment types or have similar investment strategies. The fund’s strategy to manage its exposure to asset classes, markets, and currencies may not be effective. In addition, the hedging strategies that may be implemented by MFS that seek to limit the fund’s exposure to certain extreme market events may not work as intended, and the costs associated with such strategies will reduce the fund’s returns. Please see the prospectus for further information on these and other risk considerations.
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Important Risk Considerations for MFS Absolute Return Fund
The fund may not achieve its objective and/or you could lose money on your investment in the fund. Investments in debt instruments may decline in value as the result of increases in interest rates, declines in the credit quality of the issuer, borrower, counterparty or underlying collateral, or changes in economic, political, issuer-specific, or other conditions. Certain types of debt instruments can be more sensitive to these factors and therefore more volatile. Investments in foreign markets through issuers or currencies can involve greater risk and volatility than U.S. investments because of adverse market, economic, political, regulatory, geopolitical, or other conditions. Emerging markets can have less market structure, depth, and regulatory oversight and greater political, social, and economic instability than developed markets. Investments in derivatives can be used to take both long and short positions, be highly volatile, result in leverage (which can magnify losses), and involve risks in addition to the risks of the underlying indicator(s) on which the derivative is based, such as counterparty and liquidity risk. MFS’ assessment of the risk/return potential of asset classes, markets, and currencies and its adjustments to the fund’s exposure to asset classes, markets, and currencies through the use of derivatives can be incorrect or can lead to an investment focus that results in the fund underperforming other funds that invest in similar investment types or have similar investment strategies. The fund’s strategy to manage its exposure to asset classes, markets, and currencies may not be effective. In addition, the hedging strategies that may be implemented by MFS that seek to limit the fund’s exposure to certain extreme market events may not work as intended, and the costs associated with such strategies will reduce the fund’s returns. Please see the prospectus for further information on these and other risk considerations.
Before investing, consider the fund's investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses. For a prospectus, or summary prospectus, containing this and other information, contact your investment professional or view online at mfs.com. Please read it carefully.
About MFS Investment Management
MFS is a premier global money management firm with investment offices in Boston, London, Mexico City, Singapore, Sydney, and Tokyo. The firm’s history dates back to March 21, 1924, and the establishment of the first U.S. “open-end” mutual fund. MFS manages $231.2 billion in assets on behalf of individual and institutional investors worldwide, as of February 28, 2011. Please visit mfs.com for more information.
MFS Fund Distributors, Inc.
500 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116
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