’s Philippine fund managers named ... Manulife Investors in Asian Local Currency Bonds”

TSX/NYSE/PSE: MFC
SEHK:945
For Immediate Release
November 12, 2014
Manulife’s Philippine fund managers named among “Most Astute
Investors in Asian Local Currency Bonds”
Makati City, Philippines – Anthony Garces, Head of Fixed Income, and Yvette Marquez-Carlos,
Fixed Income Director of Manulife Philippines have been named among the “Most Astute
Investors in Asian Local Currency Bonds” for 2014 in The Asset’s Benchmark Research survey.
Ryan Charland, Manulife Philippines President and Chief Executive Officer said: "I proudly
congratulate Anthony and Yvette for the acclaim they have received from their financial services
industry peers. Our investment professionals seek to apply prudent investment practices and risk
management strategies to our policyholders’ portfolios, helping to assure Manulife policyholders
that they have strong partners supporting their important financial decisions.”
Aira Gaspar, CFA, Chief Investment Officer of Manulife Philippines added her congratulations and
explained: “Anthony and Yvette are part of the global fixed income team of about 120 professionals
– including more than 60 located in 10 markets in Asia – that undertake in-depth research to identify
investment opportunities with the potential to generate attractive returns for our policyholders. The
team shares research insights and investment ideas in real time across markets, ensuring that
investment decisions are made on the basis of the most up-to-date information.”
Philippine bond market outlook
Sharing insights on the Philippine bond market, Anthony Garces said: “Over the next 12 months,
our outlook on the Philippine local currency bond market is neutral. A lower inflation forecast next
year and resilient domestic economic conditions are expected to support the local bond market,
while the continued normalization of U.S. monetary policy is likely to put some pressure on local
bond rates.”
Yvette Marquez-Carlos added her thoughts on the local bond market: “We believe that Philippine
bonds will continue to trade within their recent historical range. The U.S. Federal Reserve's forward
guidance on when and how much it intends to raise U.S. interest rates, and the reaction of U.S.
Treasury yields, are likely to have a strong influence on the performance of Philippine bonds over
the next 12 months.
“Other factors to watch include the easing bias of the European Central Bank (ECB), which recently
implemented a surprise interest rate cut, and ongoing geopolitical tension in various parts of the
world. Potential monetary policy shifts by Asian central banks represent another factor to consider.”
www.manulife.com.ph
Ms. Gaspar concluded: “We believe that Asian bonds, including Philippine peso-denominated
bonds, can be an important part of a diversified investment portfolio for Filipino investors. Asian
bonds have the potential to contribute meaningfully to meeting savings goals or to generate a
recurring income stream to supplement other sources of household income.”
Important Information: The information in this material may contain projections or other forward-looking
statements regarding future events, targets, management discipline or other expectations, and is only as
current as of the date indicated. There is no assurance that such events will occur, and may be significantly
different than that shown here. The information in this material including statements concerning financial
market trends, are based on current market conditions, which will fluctuate and may be superseded by
subsequent market events or for other reasons. This material was prepared solely for informational purposes
and does not constitute a recommendation, professional advice, an offer, solicitation or an invitation by or on
behalf of The Manufacturers Life Insurance Co. (Phils.), Inc. (“Manulife Philippines”) to any person to buy or
sell any security. This material should not be viewed as a current or past recommendation or a solicitation of
an offer to buy or sell any investment products or to adopt any investment strategy. Nothing in this material
constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a representation that any investment or strategy is
suitable or appropriate to your individual circumstances, or otherwise constitutes a personal recommendation
to you. Past performance is not an indication of future results.
About Manulife Philippines
The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company opened its doors for business in the Philippines in
1907. Since then, Manulife’s Philippine Branch and later The Manufacturers Life Insurance Co.
(Phils.), Inc. (Manulife Philippines) has grown to become one of the leading life insurance
companies in the country. Manulife Philippines is a wholly-owned domestic subsidiary of Manulife
Financial Corporation, among the world’s largest life insurance companies by market capitalization.
About Manulife
Manulife is a leading Canada-based financial services group with principal operations in Asia,
Canada and the United States. Clients look to Manulife for strong, reliable, trustworthy and forwardthinking solutions for their most significant financial decisions. Our international network of
employees, agents and distribution partners offers financial protection and wealth management
products and services to millions of clients. We also provide asset management services to
institutional customers. Funds under management by Manulife and its subsidiaries were
approximately C$637 billion (US$597 billion) as at June 30, 2014. We operate as John Hancock in
the U.S. and as Manulife in other parts of the world.
Manulife Financial Corporation trades as ‘MFC’ on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under ‘945’ on the
SEHK. Manulife can be found on the Internet at manulife.com.
Media Contacts:
Ana Manansala / Cathy Llanes
AMPR Publicity & Communications
(+632) 393-4028 / 706-1971
Lils Liwanag
Manulife Philippines
(+632) 884-5433
[email protected]
www.manulife.com.ph