AXA and AEGON link to additional Fidelity Funds

Fidelity International announces that AXA Wealth Management and AEGON have increased the range of Fidelity Funds available on their offshore bond and life and pensions products.

Three of the additional funds linked to the products are common to both companies -Global Focus (previously named Managed International), Special Situations which recently received an A rating from OBSR and Extra Income.

Additional Fidelity Funds linked to the AXA proposition:

Fidelity American (A rated by S&P)
Fidelity Asian Aggressive
Fidelity EMEA
Fidelity Extra Income (A rated by S&P)
Fidelity Global Focus
Fidelity Special Situations (A rated by OBSR and S&P)

Additional Fidelity Funds linked to the AEGON offshore bond and pensions product:

Fidelity European Opportunities (AA rated by OBSR, A rated by S&P)
Fidelity Extra Income (A rated by S&P)
Fidelity Global Focus
Fidelity Special Situations (A rated by OBSR and S&P)

Peter Hicks, Head of IFA Channel at Fidelity International comments: "The variety of asset classes covered by the newly linked funds reflects both the increasing demand from investors for funds which will help diversify their portfolios and our success in managing funds across a range of disciplines.

"Asian Aggressive and EMEA funds are both very new, having launched just earlier this year, and both have proved popular with clients seeking investments further afield. In contrast, European Opportunities, Special Situations and Extra Income funds have all been in existence for a number of years and have consistently outperformed their peers.

"That both AXA and AEGON have decided to make such a range of funds available to their clients feels like a real endorsement from two powerful distribution partners."

David Thompson, managing director, sales & marketing, AXA & Winterthur Wealth Management said: "We are pleased to add these six Fidelity funds to our proposition. This is further evidence of the strong offering that is brought to the advisory market through the AXA & Winterthur Wealth Management business."

About the Funds:

The Fidelity American fund has been run by Aris Vatis since February 2007. The stocks held in the fund result from bottom-up, fundamental analysis; the fund manager believes that relevant macro changes in the industry are generally evident from an intensive analysis at the individual company level. In selecting stocks, the manager focuses on; improving fundamentals; strong cash flow; growing revenue; sustainable earnings growth rates; moderate valuations relative to industry averages and historical ranges.

Launched in February this year, the Fidelity Asian Aggressive fund is run by David Urqhuart as a high-conviction portfolio of between 55 and 85 holdings. The manager looks for opportunities in the 13 stock markets of the wider Asia Pacific region. Japan is excluded from the portfolio, but companies in countries as diverse as New Zealand and Thailand do qualify for inclusion. The fund is aimed at adventurous investors who want to benefit from the rapidly expanding economies of the Asia Pacific and the diversity of their markets.

The Fidelity EMEA fund was launched in February this year. Run by Nick Price, the fund aims to generate long-term capital growth through investing primarily in securities of companies which have their head office or which have a predominant part of their activity in Central, Eastern and Southern Europe (including Russia), Middle East and Africa. It typically holds between 50 and 70 stocks.

Colin Stone has managed the Fidelity European Opportunities fund for almost 5 years. The portfolio is made up of a blend of investments in larger, medium and smaller sized companies and the manager looks for the following when investing in a company:

leaders in niche markets with a strong competitive advantage; strong quality of management; profits growth driven by strong sales growth; ability to generate cash; under-researched companies and attractive valuations. The fund has consistently outperformed its index in each of the last 9 consecutive calendar years.

Ian Spreadbury has managed the Fidelity Extra Income fund since its launch in1999. The portfolio comprises mainly sterling denominated Corporate and High-Yield bonds, but also includes Euro denominated Corporate and High-Yield bonds and some exposure to the US high-yield market. In addition, the fund manager is not prevented from investing strategically in UK gilts.

The Fidelity Global Focus fund has recently been renamed (previously called Managed International). The name change reflects more accurately the manager's approach to investment. The manager screens for opportunities by looking at the best ideas of Fidelity's global sector portfolio managers, regional fund managers, as well as quantitative specialists and sector analysts.

Sanjeev Shah took over the management of the Fidelity Special Situations fund from in January this year. The manager is a contrarian investor, often preferring to go against the prevailing trend, and is looking for significant valuation anomalies. The stocks he picks generally fall under one or more of the following four key areas of interest: turnarounds or recovery stories, unrecognised growth, hidden jewels or companies that have divisions or businesses whose potential is not fully recognised by the market and corporate activity potential.