Manulife Asset Management (Thailand) launches Manulife Asia Pacific Property REIT Fund to provide long-term capital appreciation and income potential to Thai investors

          Manulife Asset Management (Thailand) Company Limited has announced the upcoming launch of the Manulife Asia Pacific Property REIT Fund (MN-APREIT), a Fund of Funds directly investing in foreign REITs and related instruments within Asia-Pacific region. The initial public offering (IPO) for the Fund will be run from 24th July through 2nd August 2Manulife Asset Management17, inclusive.
          "Leveraging the intrinsic investment characteristics of REITs, the asset class typically provides high dividend combined with the potential for moderate, long-term capital appreciation. More importantly, the low correlation of listed REITs with other equities helps to provide excellent additional investment opportunities to investors. In the current low-interest rate environment, REITs should definitely be considered for inclusion in a well-diversified investment portfolio, providing stable returns and dividend income. As such, REITs, as a discrete asset class, possess characteristics that we believe will bring great value to the objectives of Thai investors." said Michael Reed, Chief Executive Officer of Manulife Asset Management (Thailand) Co. Ltd.
          Michael added "We have designed the Asia Pacific Property REIT Fund for the Thai market as we discern a positive outlook over the medium to long term. The Asia Pacific REITs market have grown significantly over past 15 years, from US$2 billion in 2Manulife Asset ManagementManulife Asset Management1 to more than US$15Manulife Asset Managementbn in 2Manulife Asset Management16, and is comprised of a well-diversified, high-quality range of properties. Compared with other major REIT markets, such as US and Japan, the Asia Pacific REIT market offers a higher relative distribution yield, in the range of 4.6 - 6.Manulife Asset Management%, and more attractive valuations. Therefore, we see this as an excellent opportunity to launch the Manulife Asia Pacific Property REIT Fund, a fund that focuses on high quality Asia Pacific REITs in a range of industries operating within key economies in Asia, including Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and Malaysia.
          Manulife Asset Management (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. has been appointed as the Sub-manager of the fund, responsible for managing the portfolio. The Singapore team has a strong track record and long experience of managing Asia Pacific REIT strategies. The team has been managing the Manulife Investment Asia-Pacific REIT Fund in Malaysia and has delivered a highly impressive performance history. 
          During an average accounting period, MN-APREIT will invest no less than 8Manulife Asset Management% of fund NAV directly in 25 - 35 REITs /or Trusts investing in the property sector that are listed on approved Asia-Pacific stock exchanges. The Fund has two share classes: A-class (capital appreciation) and R-Class (auto-redemption). The A-class share will emphasise generating returns via capital appreciation while the R-class will aim to provide a regular income stream via an auto-redemption mechanism on a quarterly basis. Auto-redemption can be derived from the fund's return or capital. 
          The front-end fee will be 1% during the IPO period, 1.5Manulife Asset Management% thereafter.
          For more information, please call Manulife Asset Management (Thailand) tel. Manulife Asset Management-2246-765Manulife Asset Management - press "2", our valued distributors or the Manulife AM website www.manulife-asset.co.th.