First capital protected fund from Public Bank (24 March 2008)

Public Bank launched its first capital protected fund, PB Capital Protected Dragon Fund (PBCPDF) on 24 March 2008 (Monday). This fund will invest in permitted investments comprising high quality debentures and money market instruments and the balance in a portfolio of equities and equity-related securities in the Greater China region. The fund will be managed by its wholly-owned subsidiary, Public Mutual.

Public Mutual’s Chairman Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Dr. Teh Hong Piow said PBCPDF is a capital protected fixed income fund that seeks to achieve capital appreciation over the tenure of the fund while providing capital protection upon maturity of the fund. PBCPDF is specially designed for investors seeking to protect their capital while participating in the growth prospects of equity markets in the Greater China region. “At least 90% of its net asset value (NAV) will be invested in permitted investments comprising high quality debentures and money market instruments. The balance of the fund’s NAV will be invested in a portfolio of equities and equity-related securities in the Greater China region,” he added.

The Initial Offer Price of PBCPDF is at RM0.9901 per unit during the 45-day initial offer period of 24 March 2008 to 7 May 2008. The service charge is at RM0.0099 per unit, which is 1% of the NAV of the fund during offer period. “As PBCPDF is a closed-end fund, the units will only be sold during Offer Period. The minimum investment for the fund is RM1,000,” said Tan Sri Teh.

Tan Sri Teh added that PBCPDF’s capital is protected with a Capital Protected Value of RM1.0000 per unit at the Maturity Date. The Maturity Date is on 15 May 2011 or earlier if the fund is fully sold before 7 May 2008.

Interested investors can visit any Public Bank branch nationwide or call free-phone at 1-800-88-3323 during normal working hours to find out more about PBCPDF.

The manager of the fund, Public Mutual is the largest private unit trust company in Malaysia, and it manages 60 funds for more than 1,650,000 accountholders. As at 31 December 2007, the total NAV of the funds managed by the company was RM28.4 billion.