A New Growth Fund from Franklin Templeton

Franklin Templeton Investments recently introduced the Franklin International Growth Fund, which "employs a growth investment style and seeks long-term capital appreciation by investing predominantly in mid- and large-capitalization companies outside the U.S." The Fund's managers will invest in companies that are early in their growth trajectory and that can be held through their entire growth phase. They will also look to limit duplication of economic exposure with a presence in multiple countries and regions around the world. Barbeau and Par Rostom serve as co-managers of the Fund with 26 and 10 years of investment experience, respectively. John Remmert, the other member of the Fund's portfolio management team, has 20 years of investment experience.

"Compelling growth investment opportunities exist in many markets around the world. Our approach to these opportunities incorporates in-depth, bottom-up research, and a long-term perspective," said Coleen Barbeau, the Fund's co-manager and director of Non-U.S. Portfolio Management for Franklin Global Advisers, in announcing the Fund's launch. "We look for growth-oriented companies with sustainable business models and strong free cash flow characteristics."

Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of mid- to large-cap companies located outside the U.S., according to Franklin Templeton. For this Fund, mid- and large-capitalization companies are companies with market capitalizations of generally greater than $2 billion, though the Fund's management team anticipates that its average market capitalization will generally be significantly higher. The Fund's investment strategy allows it to invest up to 20% of net assets in emerging markets, though the management team anticipates that the allocation will generally be much lower.