Mr. Nathan Thooft reports

JOHN HANCOCK INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT EXPANDS ALTERNATIVES AVAILABILITY AND REACH FOR INVESTORS

Manulife Financial Corp.'s John Hancock Investment Management, a company of Manulife Investment Management, has expanded availability for its alternative investment product offering. Having launched its first alternative allocation fund in 2009, the firm continues to see increased interest in its alternative and private markets solutions, and has implemented additional solutions to meet the demand of advisers, their clients and qualified investors through multiple distribution platforms.

All figures are in United States dollars unless otherwise stated.

Nathan Thooft, chief investment officer, multiasset solutions, Manulife Investment Management, said: "We are currently experiencing an economic and market environment with high uncertainties, notable volatility, and the prospect for weaker growth. With this in mind, our goal is to provide investors the opportunity to consider an increased allocation to alternatives, adding differentiated exposures to their portfolios."

Diversified Macro Fund surpasses $1-billion in assets under management

Underscoring the firm's longstanding experience in bringing liquid alternatives to investor portfolios, John Hancock Diversified Macro Fund, subadvised by Graham Capital Management, has surpassed $1-billion in assets under management (AUM) this year. John Hancock Diversified Macro Fund pursues diversified sources of returns through algorithmic long and short positions in carry, fundamental, trend and value strategies. As of April 30, 2023, the John Hancock Diversified Macro Fund I shares received a four-star overall rating out of 68 funds in the Morningstar macro trading category. The fund was rated four stars out of 68 funds for the three-year period.

The John Hancock Diversified Macro Fund delivered a positive return of 12.29 per cent in 2022.

"We are extremely pleased to see the growth of John Hancock Diversified Macro Fund, and believe it is a testament to our strong partnership and the value of macro strategies in a broader portfolio," said Brian Douglas, chief executive officer of Graham Capital management. "In a time of many market uncertainties and questions around the resilience of a traditional 60/40 portfolio, we believe a strategic, long-term allocation to diversifying strategies like macro is very important."

John Hancock Investment Management's legacy in alternatives helped to launch John Hancock Alternative Asset Allocation Fund in 2009 as a one-stop alternative allocation solution. The fund is subadvised by Manulife Investment Management U.S. and was the firm's first fund to bring alternative asset class strategies to retail investors looking for core alternative holdings in their portfolios to provide diversification. As of April 30, 2023, the John Hancock Alternative Asset Allocation Fund I shares received a four-star overall rating out of 131 funds in the Morningstar multistrategy category. The fund was rated three stars out of 131 funds in the three-year period and four stars out of 115 and 50 funds for the five- and 10-year periods, respectively.

Broader availability

To continue to meet the diversification needs of investors, John Hancock Investment Management expanded its registered alternative offerings to include semi-liquid tender offer funds that provide mass affluent eligible investors access to private securities with the launch of the John Hancock Asset-Based Lending Fund in July, 2022. The fund, which seeks to provide investors high current income and to a lesser extent, capital appreciation, in various private asset-based lending investments ranging from transportation finance to health care royalties, is managed by New York-based public and private credit specialist Marathon Asset Management. The fund is now available on all three RIA (registered investment adviser) custody platforms -- Fidelity, Pershing and Schwab -- and is available for electronic transactions on the +Subscribe platform and the iCapital marketplace.

"John Hancock Investment Management has seen growing interest in the Asset-Based Lending Fund as investors look for differentiated investments that bring diversification to traditional assets in their portfolios," said York Lo, head of alternative product, John Hancock Investment Management. "For investors who believe we are in a recession or prerecessionary climate, the opportunity to increase diversification through alternative asset classes could add ballast to a portfolio into the next cycle, and we look forward to providing investors with expanded offerings to make the appropriate allocations."

Diversification does not guarantee a profit or eliminate the risk of a loss.

Request a prospectus or summary prospectus from your financial professional, by visiting the John Hancock Investments website or by calling 800-225-5291. The prospectus includes investment objectives, risks, fees, expenses and other information that you should consider carefully before investing.

About John Hancock Investment Management

A company of Manulife Investment Management, John Hancock serves investors through a unique multimanager approach, complementing its extensive in-house capabilities with an unrivalled network of specialized asset managers, backed by some of the most rigorous investment oversight in the industry. The result is a diverse lineup of time-tested investments from a premier asset manager with a heritage of financial stewardship.

About Manulife Investment Management

Manulife Investment Management is the global brand for the global wealth and asset management segment of Manulife Financial Corp.