Franklin Templeton Investments Corp. has launched a new balanced fund designed to help Canadian investors generate income in a volatile market environment.
The new Bissett Strategic Income Fund, introduced on Tuesday, will provide a diversified mix of high-yielding equities and fixed income securities from Canada and around the world.
“Canadians are concerned about market volatility, inflation and rising interest rates affecting their investments,” said Don Reed, president and CEO, Franklin Templeton Investments Corp. “Bissett Strategic Income Fund can help investors sleep at night by mitigating risk in their investment portfolio and providing them with the potential for attractive yields and growth over the long-term.”
The fund will be co-managed by two industry veterans: Leslie Lundquist, co-lead manager of Bissett Canadian High Dividend Fund, will oversee the fund’s equity position, while Tom O’Gorman, co-lead manager of Bissett Bond Fund, will be in charge of the fund’s fixed income holdings.
Combined, Lundquist and O’Gorman have 39 years of experience in the investment industry.
The fund’s asset allocation strategy allows the two managers to respond quickly to market conditions. Bissett Strategic Income Fund may hold between 40% and 60% of its investments in equities, and between 40% and 60% in fixed income. The fund’s neutral asset mix is 50% equities and 50% fixed income.
The equity portion of the portfolio will focus on high-dividend paying Canadian equities with diversification across sectors and market capitalizations. Lundquist and her team will use Bissett’s “growth-at-a-reasonable-price” investment style to find companies that offer high and stable to modestly growing dividends.
O’Gorman and the Bissett fixed income team will invest in a mix of Canadian and global multi-sector securities to provide the best yield opportunities. The fund will leverage the expertise of Franklin Templeton’s high-yield global corporate bond team based in San Mateo, California.
Income distributions will be made monthly to unitholders and are expected to consist mainly of tax-efficient dividends.
Bissett Strategic Income Corporate Class is part of Franklin Templeton’s tax class structure, which allows investors to switch between funds and portfolios while deferring any taxable events until they redeem from the structure.