FRANKLIN TEMPLETON PARTNERS STANDARD CHARTERED
BANK TO LAUNCH NEW U.S. EQUITIES FUND
Franklin U.S Opportunities Fund Offers Local Investors Access to
Leading American Companies
Kuala Lumpur, 13 May 2013 - Franklin Templeton Asset Management Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. in partnership with Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia Bhd. launched a new U.S. Equity fund - Franklin U.S. Opportunities Fund ("the Fund"). This marks Standard Chartered's first U.S. fund which will add to its already vast range of wealth management solutions.
The Malaysia-domiciled Fund offers investors the opportunity to tap into equities of leading U.S. companies and achieve capital appreciation by investing in the Franklin Templeton Investment Funds (FTIF) - Franklin U.S. Opportunities Fund ("the Target Fund"). The target fund has top holdings in companies such as Google, Apple and Mastercard as of 31 March 2013.
"We are delighted to introduce our new fund offering - the Franklin U.S. Opportunities Fund - which will appeal to investors who plan to hold their investments for the long term and capitalise on the potential growth of leading U.S. companies. Franklin Equity Group has over 60 years of experience as a pioneer of investing in U.S. markets. We have over 70 equity investment professionals and each portfolio manager is an analyst and industry specialist. Our bottom-up, fundamental research process is used to identify and evaluate companies we believe have the characteristics of growth, quality and valuation," said Sandeep Singh, Country Head-Malaysia, Franklin Templeton Investments"
The Target Fund invests in diversified and potentially attractive investment opportunities and is flexible to invest across market capitalisation and sector allocations. As of 30 April 2013, the Target Fund has received an Overall Morningstar Rating of 4 stars for it's a (Mdisc) USD class (primary share class)
i.
Grant Bowers, lead portfolio manager of the Target Fund has been with Franklin Templeton since 1993 and has managed the fund since 2009. Bowers is also Vice President and Portfolio Manager with the Franklin Equity Group.
"We continue to believe the U.S. is well positioned in the global economy and US equities are an attractive investment. The country's corporate sector is financially strong and competitive, and many stocks remain inexpensive relative to historical valuation levels, in our view. We expect gradual economic recovery in the US to continue, fiscal issues to be addressed and increased investor confidence going forward," said Bowers.
"Global equities remain in a sweet spot," said Sonia Wedrychowicz, Country Head Consumer Banking, Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia Bhd. "Equities still offer the most value and with the global economy recovering we expect global equities growth accelerating in second half of the year.
"Our partnership with Franklin Templeton is timely and provides our customers a window of opportunity into the U.S., the largest and most liquid equity market in the world. The Fund is an ideal advantage for our customers who seek a diversified portfolio and seek capital yield on a long term."
The Fund will be offered to qualified investors
ii with a minimum initial investment of RM10, 000. In addition to the Franklin U.S. Opportunities Fund, Standard Chartered will also distribute two of Franklin Templeton's flagship fixed income funds - the Templeton Global Total Return Fund and the Templeton Asian Bond Fund.
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