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MutualFundWire.com
The insiders' edge for 40 Act industry executives!
an InvestmentWires' Publication |
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Thursday, November 1, 2007 ING Adds Two Funds to Real Estate Line-Up ING Funds has launched two new real estate mutual funds. The ING Asia-Pacific Real Estate Fund and the ING European Real Estate Fund bring the total number of real estate mutual funds for ING to 5. ING Funds today announced that it has launched the ING Asia-Pacific Real Estate Fund and the ING European Real Estate Fund, adding to a suite of real estate products available to mutual fund investors. The two new funds strengthen ING Fund's real estate investment offerings, which include the ING Global Real Estate Fund, the ING Real Estate Fund and the ING International Real Estate Fund. The Funds are managed by ING Clarion Real Estate Securities, one of the leading managers of global real estate securities portfolios in the world with $20 billion under management. ING Clarion is the real estate securities management arm of ING Real Estate, the world's largest real estate investment firm. The goal of both funds is to provide investors with high total return by investing at least 80% of its assets in equity securities in the real estate industry. ING Clarion has offices and securities analysts in Philadelphia, London, Tokyo, and Hong Kong and has been exclusively managing portfolios of real estate securities on behalf of institutional and individual investors since 1984. As part of ING Real Estate, ING Clarion utilizes a network of global real estate research and management professionals located throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific to enhance investment decisions. The ING Asia-Pacific Real Estate Fund and the ING European Real Estate Fund will be managed by a five-person team of portfolio managers including the firm's Chief Investment Officer. Collectively they bring over 50 years of real estate investment management experience, including evaluating the potential of public companies outside the U.S. "Real estate investment trusts (REITs) have unique characteristics that may make them attractive to both income-seeking investors as well as those looking for growth," said Shaun Mathews, Head of ING Funds. "We are very excited to offer investors regionally targeted funds to enhance their overall real estate securities strategy," said Ritson Ferguson, ING Clarion's CIO. "A targeted strategy allows for investors to customize their international real estate component when adding to an existing domestic real estate stock portfolio." ING Clarion's world-wide team works diligently with the extended resources of ING Real Estate's extensive global team to find undervalued real estate stocks that have contributed to the fund's strong performance. About ING ING Groep, N.V. is a global financial institution of Dutch origin offering banking, insurance and asset management to more than 75 million private, corporate and institutional clients in more than 50 countries. With a diverse workforce of more than 120,000 people, ING comprises a broad spectrum of prominent companies that increasingly serve their clients under the ING brand. In the U.S., the ING family of companies offers a comprehensive array of financial services to retail and institutional clients, including life insurance, retirement plans, annuities mutual funds, managed accounts, alternative investments, direct banking, institutional investment management, employee benefits, financial planning and reinsurance. ING holds top-tier rankings in key U.S. markets and serves more than 15 million customers across the nation. For more information, visit www.ing.com. ASIA-PACIFIC REAL ESTATE Principal Risk Factor(s): International investing does pose special risks including currency fluctuation, economic and political risks not found in investments that are solely domestic. Risks of foreign investing are generally intensified for investments in emerging markets. Equities may offer the potential for greater long-term growth but they generally have higher volatility. From time to time, the stock market may not favor the securities in which the Fund invests. Rather, the market could favor securities in industries to which the Fund is not exposed, or may not favor equities at all. Risks of the Fund are similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, including terrorist acts and war. Sensitive to changes such as real estate values and property taxes, interest rates, cash flow of underlying real estate assets, supply and demand, and the management skill and credit worthiness of the issuer. REITs may also be affected by tax and regulatory requirements. Investments in the Asia-Pacific region are subject to special risk, such as less developed or less efficient trading markets, restrictions on monetary repatriation and possible seizure, nationalization or expropriation of assets. Investments in Hong Kong or Taiwan could be adversely affected by their political and economical relationship with China. Non-Diversification -- the Fund is a non-diversified investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. If the Fund invests a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers, the Fund will be more at risk to any single issuer, economic, political or regulatory event that impacts one or more of those issuers. Conversely, even though classified as non-diversified, the Fund may actually maintain a portfolio that is diversified within a large number of issuers. In such an event, the Fund would benefit less from appreciation in a single issuer that if it had a greater exposure to that issuer. Concentration - because the Fund's investments are concentrated in one or more real estate industries, the value of the Fund may be subject to greater volatility than a fund with a portfolio that is less concentrated. If real estate securities as a group fall out of favor, the Fund could underperform funds that focus on other types of companies. EUROPEAN REAL ESTATE Principal Risk Factor(s): International investing does pose special risks including currency fluctuation, economic and political risks not found in investments that are solely domestic. Risks of foreign investing are generally intensified for investments in emerging markets. Equities may offer the potential for greater long-term growth but they generally have higher volatility. From time to time, the stock market may not favor the securities in which the Fund invests. Rather, the market could favor securities in industries to which the Fund is not exposed, or may not favor equities at all. Risks of the Fund are similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, including terrorist acts and war. Sensitive to changes such as real estate values and property taxes, interest rates, cash flow of underlying real estate assets, supply and demand, and the management skill and credit worthiness of the issuer. REITs may also be affected by tax and regulatory requirements. Non-Diversification -- the Fund is a non-diversified investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. If the Fund invests a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers, the Fund will be more at risk to any single issuer, economic, political or regulatory event that impacts one or more of those issuers. Conversely, even though classified as non-diversified, the Fund may actually maintain a portfolio that is diversified within a large number of issuers. In such an event, the Fund would benefit less from appreciation in a single issuer that if it had a greater exposure to that issuer. Concentration - because the Fund's investments are concentrated in one or more real estate industries, the value of the Fund may be subject to greater volatility than a fund with a portfolio that is less concentrated. If real estate securities as a group fall out of favor, the Fund could underperform funds that focus on other types of companies. For more complete information, or to obtain a prospectus on any ING Fund, please contact your investment professional or ING Funds Distributor, LLC at 800-992-0180 for a prospectus. The prospectus should be read carefully before investing. Consider the investment objectives, risks, and charges and expenses carefully before investing. The prospectus contains this information and other information about the funds. Check with your Investment Professional to determine which funds are available for sale within their firm. Not all funds are available for sale at all firms. Printed from: MFWire.com/story.asp?s=16315 Copyright 2007, InvestmentWires, Inc. All Rights Reserved |