Brandes Investment Partners & Co. is launching its new Canadian mutual fund business, offering nine new value funds.

The new fund line-up will include Canadian Equity, Balanced and Money Market funds; U.S. Equity and U.S. Small Cap Equity funds; Global Equity and Global Small Cap Equity funds; and International Equity and Emerging Markets funds.

The funds will be available, beginning July 2, through financial advisors and dealers. Brandes Investment Partners L.P. will provide investment advisory services for the funds.

Charles Brandes, chairman of the firm, says “The launch of BIPCo reflects Brandes’ long-term commitment to the Canadian marketplace. Our new Canadian operation and our nine new funds will enable us to broaden and deepen the services we provide to Canadian advisors and their clients, allowing us to bring a wider application of Brandes’ value investing approach to Canadians.”

Oliver Murray, president and COO of BIPCo, says the nine new funds “have been designed specifically for the Canadian market and encompass a range of Canadian, U.S., global and international investment mandates.”

“We are delighted to be able to provide Canadian advisors and their investors with the opportunity of participating, for the first time, in a full line of core value-based products delivered directly by Brandes,” Murray says. “The new funds have been created specifically for the Canadian market, drawing on the proven value-based investment philosophy which has earned Brandes its global reputation.”

“Investments for the new equity and balanced funds will be based on the decisions of Brandes’ investment committees, said Jeff Busby, co-CEO and managing partner for Brandes Investment Partners L.P. “Our team approach to investment management reflects knowledge sharing among seasoned investment professionals, rather than the reliance on a single individual.”

http://www.newswire.ca/releases/June2002/27/c0633.html