TORONTO, Jan. 10, 2012 /CNW/ - Franklin Templeton Investments Corp. today introduced a balanced fund for Canadian investors who want to generate income in a volatile market environment. The new Bissett Strategic Income Fund will provide a diversified mix of high-yielding equities and fixed income securities from Canada and around the world.
"Canadians are concerned about market volatility, inflation and rising interest rates affecting their investments," said Don Reed, president and CEO, Franklin Templeton Investments Corp. "Bissett Strategic Income Fund can help investors sleep at night by mitigating risk in their investment portfolio and providing them with the potential for attractive yields and growth over the long-term."
The fund will be co-managed by two industry veterans: Leslie Lundquist, co-lead manager of Bissett Canadian High Dividend Fund, will oversee the fund's equity position, while Tom O'Gorman, co-lead manager of Bissett Bond Fund, will be in charge of the fund's fixed income holdings. Together, Ms. Lundquist and Mr. O'Gorman have 39 years of experience in the investment industry.
The fund's asset allocation strategy allows the two managers to respond quickly to market conditions. Bissett Strategic Income Fund may hold between 40 per cent and 60 per cent of its investments in equities, and between 40 per cent and 60 per cent in fixed income. The fund's neutral asset mix is 50 per cent equities and 50 per cent fixed income.
The equity portion of the portfolio will focus on high-dividend paying Canadian equities with diversification across sectors and market capitalizations. Ms. Lundquist and her team will use Bissett's growth-at-a-reasonable-price investment style to find companies that offer high and stable to modestly growing dividends.
Mr. O'Gorman and the Bissett fixed income team will invest in a mix of Canadian and global multi-sector securities to provide the best yield opportunities. The fund will leverage the expertise of Franklin Templeton's high-yield global corporate bond team based in San Mateo, California.
Income distributions will be made monthly to unitholders and are expected to consist mainly of tax-efficient dividends.
Bissett Strategic Income Corporate Class is part of Franklin Templeton's tax class structure, which allows investors to switch between funds and portfolios while deferring any taxable events until they redeem from the structure.
About Franklin Templeton Investments
Franklin Templeton Investments Corp. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE: BEN), a global investment organization operating as Franklin Templeton Investments. Franklin Templeton Investments provides global and domestic investment management solutions managed by its Franklin, Templeton, Bissett, Mutual Series, Fiduciary Trust and Darby investment teams. The San Mateo, CA-based company has more than 60 years of investment experience and approximately US$676-billion (C$689-billion) in assets under management as of November 30, 2011.
Franklin Templeton Investments Corp. has more than 600 employees providing services to more than one million unitholder accounts and more than 200 pension funds, foundations and other institutional investors. Additional information on Franklin Templeton Investments Corp. can be found at www.franklintempleton.ca.
Media contacts:
Sarah Kingdon, consultant, public relations, Franklin Templeton Investments, 416.957.6191
Keith Damsell, vice president, corporate communications, Franklin Templeton Investments, 416.957.6099
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