Awaits Final Step in Trademark Registration
Great Consumer™ Funds Respond to Expanding Purchasing Power of Rising Middle Class in Emerging Markets
NEW YORK, Sept. 11, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Emerging markets expert Mirae Asset Global Investments (USA) today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office ("USPTO") has approved "Great Consumer™" for publication in the USPTO's Official Gazette and will register the mark later in 2012. Publication in the Official Gazette is the final step before a trademark's official registration.
Mirae Asset's proprietary "Great Consumer™" investment theme is at the core of a number of the firm's investment offerings. The firm defines Great Consumer as the collective direct and indirect economic effect resulting from increased consumption activities and growing purchasing power of individuals within the world's emerging markets. Its Great Consumer™ products respond to the expanding purchasing power of the rising middle class, which is a significant trend in the emerging markets.
The Great Consumer™ funds invest in companies that Mirae Asset believes will benefit from the secular change in consumption patterns taking place in the world's developing economies. In September 2010, the firm introduced this investment theme through two funds, the Emerging Markets Great Consumer Fund1(MECGX) and the Asia Great Consumer Fund (MGCEX). A third product, the Global Great Consumer Fund (MGUAX) was introduced in February 2012. These three equity mutual funds are part of the suite of Mirae Asset Discovery Funds, the firm's first U.S. registered products.
"Our conviction in the Great Consumer™ concept, and the investment products we've developed from it, has led us to file the application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office," said Peter Graham, President of the Mirae Asset Discovery Funds. "Our lineup of Great Consumer™ funds provides products for investors to participate in this trend that has the potential to transform the world's developing economies over the coming decades. We believe this theme will shape emerging markets investing much the same way that the Baby Boom did in the U.S."
In the U.S., Mirae Asset's retail product line-up consists of seven equity mutual funds that include the three Great Consumer™ funds. A global bond fund was also launched in March 2012
The Power of the Great Consumer™
Mirae Asset's Great Consumer™ investment products are designed to take advantage the potential for accelerated urbanization and economic expansion, as well as unprecedented population and income growth potential led by a younger workforce. We believe these factors will drive consumption across the world's emerging economies.
As of 2011, these markets already represented about 87% of the world's population2, and a larger and younger working population than in developed markets. In India, Brazil and China, the percentage of population under the age of 25 stood at 50%, 42% and 36%, respectively, in 2010. This compared with 33%, 29% and 22%, respectively, for the United States, United Kingdom and Japan.3
The emerging markets' increase in purchasing power is coupled with dynamic economic growth. The emerging markets' collective share of global gross domestic product (GDP) continues to rise based on purchasing power parity, and is expected to reach almost 54% by 2016, up from about 49% in 2011. Within the same five-year period, the GDP share for developed markets is expected to shrink to approximately 46% from 51%.4
Research conducted by Mirae Asset Global Investments further reveals that there will be about 960 million middle class "Great Consumers" in the emerging markets by 2020.5 In comparison, the Baby Boomers' impact on the U.S. economy arose from the purchasing power of 77 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964.6 Like the Boomer, Mirae Assetbelieves that the Great Consumer™ consumption patterns will have tremendous growth implications for companies in industries beyond just the consumer staples and discretionary sectors.
The staggering size and purchasing power of the emerging market "Great Consumer™" present a truly significant and long-lasting investable opportunity, a 21st century theme that mirrors that of the Baby Boomer's, except on an even larger scale. For more details on Mirae Asset's Great Consumer™, visit www.miraeasset.us/gc.
About Mirae Asset Global Investments
Mirae Asset Global Investments is one of the world's largest investment managers in emerging market equities (source: Investments & Pensions Europe, January 2012). With over 600 employees including more than 130 dedicated investment professionals, Mirae Asset has offices in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Korea, Taiwan, the U.K., the United States and Vietnam. Headquartered in Seoul, the firm manages approximately $50 billion in assets globally, of which more than $17 billion is invested in emerging market equities (as of June 30, 2012). Mirae Asset Global Investments (USA) is focused on providing equity and fixed income investment advisory services to mutual funds, foreign investment trusts and institutions. (www.miraeasset.com)
Purchasing power is an individual's ability to purchase goods and services, generally measured by his or her income. Gross domestic product (GDP) is the monetary value of all the finished goods and services produced within a country's borders in a specific time period.
Emerging Markets Risk: The risks of foreign investments are typically greater in less developed countries, which are sometimes referred to as emerging markets. For example, political and economic structures in these countries may be changing rapidly, which can cause instability and greater risk of loss. These countries are also more likely to experience higher levels of inflation, deflation or currency devaluation, which could hurt their economies and securities markets. For these and other reasons, investments in emerging markets are often considered speculative. Similarly, investors are also subject to foreign securities risks including, but not limited to, the fact that foreign investments may be subject to different and in some circumstances less stringent regulatory and disclosure standards than U.S. investments. Equity securities (stocks) are more volatile and carry more risk than other forms of investments, including investments in high-grade fixed income securities. The net asset value per share of this fund will fluctuate as the value of the securities in the portfolio changes. Bond funds will tend to experience smaller fluctuations in value than stock funds. However, investors in any bond fund should anticipate fluctuations in price, especially for longer term issues and in environments of rising interest rates. Geographic Concentration Risk - A small number of companies and industries may represent a large portion of the market in a particular country or region, and these companies and industries can be sensitive to adverse social, political, economic or regulatory developments in that country or region.
This press release is not a solicitation to neither buy nor offer to sell securities. An offering can only be made by prospectus, which can be obtained from Mirae Asset USA.
An investor should consider the Fund's investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. This and other important information about the investment company can be found in the Fund's prospectus. To obtain a prospectus, please contact your financial advisor or call 1-888-335-3412. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing.
Mirae Asset Global Investments is the investment adviser for the Mirae Asset Discovery Funds. The Mirae Asset Discovery Funds are distributed by Funds Distributor, LLC.
The Mirae Asset Global Investments (USA) LLC logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=11543
1 Effective August 28, 2012, the Fund's name changed from Global Emerging Markets Great Consumer Fund to Emerging Markets Great Consumer Fund.
2 World Bank, 2011
3 United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, 2011
4 International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database, September 2011
5 United Nations Statistics, World Bank's 2007 Global Economic Prospects and Mirae Asset Projections\
6 U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Population born between 1946 and 1964