JOHN HANCOCK RE-OPENS GROWTH TRENDS FUND TO NEW INVESTORS
BOSTON, October 30, 2000 - John Hancock Funds announced today that it will
re-open its Growth Trends Fund to new investors on November 1. In the most
successful fund launch in the company's history, the innovative fund, which
invests in the financial services, health care and technology sectors,
raised over $270 million in assets during an indication of interest period
between August 28 and September 22, 2000.
"Response to the Growth Trends Fund has been tremendous," said
Keith Hartstein, senior vice president of sales and marketing for the firm.
"The success of the initial launch clearly signifies that investors are
excited about a fund that takes some of the guess-work out of sector
investing," he added.
The launch was structured as an initial offering to help the fund reach a
critical mass of assets more quickly, which allowed the fund managers to
invest a more stable pool of assets and allowed shareholders to begin
enjoying the benefits of a larger fund.
The Growth Trends Fund seeks long-term growth of capital by
investing approximately one-third of its assets in each of the three sectors
that have emerged over the past decade as the main growth engines of the
U.S. economy: financial services, health care and technology. Catalysts
like the Financial Services Modernization Act, the Human Genome Project and
the Internet demonstrate the potential for continued growth in these
industries.
As another unique feature, the fund brings together three distinct,
experienced investment management teams. John Hancock Advisers, Inc., the
investment management arm of John Hancock Funds, is responsible for the
financial portion of the fund. The team is led by James K. Schmidt, CFA, who
also leads the portfolio management teams of the John Hancock Regional Bank
Fund and the John Hancock Financial Industries Fund.
Mercury Advisors,* which serves as the investment adviser to Mercury Funds,
is responsible for the fund's health care component. The team is led by
Jordan Schreiber, CFA, who leads the portfolio management team of the
Merrill Lynch Healthcare Fund.
American Fund Advisors, Inc. is responsible for the technology portion.
Barry Gordon, Marc Klee, CFA, and Alan Loewenstein, CFA, lead the team,
which manages the John Hancock Technology Fund.
John Hancock Growth Trends Fund offers Class A shares with a maximum
front-end sales charge of 5%, Class B shares with a maximum deferred sales
charge of 5%, and Class C shares with maximum front-end and deferred sales
charges of 1%. The minimum initial investment is $1,000 for regular
accounts or $250 for retirement accounts. (Please see table below for fund
symbols.)
John Hancock Funds, a global investment management firm, manages more than
$30 billion in open-end funds, closed-end funds, private accounts, variable
annuities and retirement plans for individual and institutional investors.
John Hancock Funds is a subsidiary of John Hancock Life Insurance Company,
which is wholly owned by John Hancock Financial Services, Inc. (NYSE: JHF).
John Hancock and its affiliated companies provide a broad array of insurance
and investment products and services to retail and institutional customers.
As of June 30, 2000, John Hancock and its subsidiaries had total assets
under management of $126.9 billion.
| FUND NAME | TICKER | NEWSPAPER |
| John Hancock Growth Trends Fund, Class A | JGTAX | GTrendA |
| John Hancock Growth Trends Fund, Class B | JGTBX | GTrendB |
| John Hancock Growth Trends Fund, Class C | JGTCX | GTrendC |
Investments concentrated in a few sectors may fluctuate more widely than
investments diversified across many sectors.
For more complete information on any John Hancock fund, including charges
and expenses, please call 1-800-225-5291 for a prospectus. Please read it
carefully before you invest or send money.
John Hancock Funds, Inc., Boston, MA 02199. Member NASD.
*Fund Asset Management, L.P. does business as Mercury Advisors.
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