Topic: How To Invest

Pat: What is your view on the high-yield Manulife Floating Rate Senior Loan Fund? Thank you.

Article Excerpt

Manulife Floating Rate Senior Loan Fund, $9.85, symbol MFR.UN on Toronto (Units outstanding: 26.5 million; Market cap: $261.0 million; www.manulifemutualfunds.ca), mainly holds senior floating rate loans and, to a lesser extent, short-duration debt securities. Senior debt is first in line to be repaid in the event of a bankruptcy. However, the fund primarily invests in junk bonds—debt that’s rated below investment grade. Corporate bonds are riskier than government bonds, and their risk levels vary widely. Some corporates are almost as safe as government bonds and offer only slightly higher yields. Others offer much higher yields, but are far riskier. The junk bonds that Manulife Floating Rate Senior Loan Fund invests in are from the second group. Manulife Floating Rate Senior Loan Fund pays a distribution of $0.05625 U.S. per unit per month. That gives it a high 6.9% yield. We don’t recommend the Manulife Floating Rate Senior Loan Fund. Fund. …