Top-ranked fund seeks to deliver absolute return in all market conditions

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Forward Management, LLC announced that its Forward Commodity Long/Short Strategy Fund is now available at Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney.  According to Lipper ratings, the Forward Commodity Long/Short Strategy Fund is the leader for one-year (total return) performance among 36 peers eligible in the "commodities general" category for the period ended December 31, 2011. 

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The fund is also available at Charles Schwab, Fidelity, LPL Financial, Matrix Clearing, Pershing and TD Ameritrade.  

Forward recently introduced Class M shares for the Commodity Long/Short Strategy Fund for use in fee-based advisor platforms and retirement accounts.

The fund's widening availability reflects investors' and advisors' rapidly growing interest in commodities. Commodity mutual funds and exchange-traded funds attracted $15.8 billion of net inflows in the twelve months through November 30, 2011, according to Strategic Insight. Assets in commodity funds grew by 24.5% during that time, the largest increase of any fund type. In the three years leading up to November 30, 2011, commodity funds had net inflows of $81.4 billion.

Designed to produce positive returns in both upward and downward-trending commodity markets, the Forward Fund invests broadly across the 24 commodities in the S&P GSCI Index. It is one of the very few pure commodity-focused long/short mutual funds currently available.   

Forward's strategy is a trend-following approach that uses volatility-adjusted momentum to invest long or short in commodities that rank highest in positive or negative returns over previous months, subject to diversification rules.  Rankings are recalculated and the portfolio is rebalanced monthly.

The Commodity Long/Short Strategy Fund is one of Forward's growing suite of alternative strategies available as mutual funds.  Forward now offers seven long/short funds and a total of twelve alternative funds in a variety of asset classes, including equity, global and domestic fixed income and real estate.  As of November 30, 2011, Forward Management ranked among the top 20 asset managers in the U.S. in terms of year-to-date alternative asset flows, according to Strategic Insight.

Portfolio manager Nathan Rowader discusses the commodity asset class and the historical performance of long/short vs. long-only strategies in his  recent whitepaper, "What Every Investor Should Know About Commodities," available on Forward's website.

About Forward Management, LLC
Investors today are seeking new tools and strategies to help them achieve their goals and manage risk.  Forward is an asset management firm that is helping to meet and anticipate those needs with an extensive set of diverse, ever-evolving solutions. Providing broad

access to innovative strategies once available only to the largest and most sophisticated investors, we are helping to lead the industry in a new direction. As of December 31, 2011, Forward manages $5.1 billion in mutual funds, separate account strategies and limited partnerships.  More information on Forward Management and the Forward Funds can be found at www.forwardmgmt.com.

Please consider the objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing in the fund. A prospectus with this and other information may be obtained by calling (888) 312-4100 or by visiting www.forwardfunds.com. Please read carefully before making a final investment decision.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results, share prices will fluctuate, and you may have a gain or loss when you redeem shares.

RISKS
Exposure to the commodities markets may subject a fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments. A fund's use of derivative instruments involves risks different from the risks associated with investing directly in securities and certain derivatives may create a risk of loss greater than the amount invested. Derivatives increase volatility and transaction costs and may reduce performance. A fund that invests in Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) will be subject to substantially the same risks as those associated with the direct ownership of the securities or other property held by the ETFs. Mortgage-backed securities do not have a fixed maturity, and their expected maturities may vary when interest rates rise or fall. Mortgage-backed securities are subject to prepayment risk and are subject to extension risk, which is the risk that a fund that holds mortgage-backed securities may exhibit additional volatility during periods of rising interest rates. Small movements in interest rates may quickly and significantly reduce the value of certain mortgage-backed securities. A "non-diversified" fund has the ability to invest a larger percentage of its assets in the securities of a smaller number of issuers than a "diversified" fund. The net asset value per share of a non-diversified fund can be expected to fluctuate more than that of a comparable diversified fund. By investing in a subsidiary organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands, the fund will be indirectly exposed to the risks associated with the subsidiary's investments, which are generally similar to those that are permitted to be held by the fund. The subsidiary is not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940.

Alternative strategies typically are subject to increased risk and loss of principal. Consequently, investments such as mutual funds which focus on alternative strategies are not suitable for all investors.

The Forward Commodity Long/Short Strategy Fund seeks long term total return.

The S&P GSCI (formerly the Goldman Sachs Commodity Index) serves as a benchmark for investment in the commodity markets and as a measure of commodity performance over time.

It is not possible to invest directly in an index.

The fund had negative performance in May, June, August and October.

Alan Reid and Nathan Rowader are registered representatives of ALPS Distributors, Inc. Forward Funds are distributed by ALPS Distributors, Inc. ALPS Distributors, Inc., is not affiliated with Forward Management, Kanter and Company, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, Charles Schwab, Fidelity, LPL Financial, Matrix Clearing, Pershing and TD Ameritrade.

Although Lipper makes reasonable efforts to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the data contained herein, the accuracy is not guaranteed by Lipper. Lipper ratings, Lipper research and Lipper fund data are not intended to predict future results. This does not constitute and is not intended to constitute investment advice or an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any security of any entity in any jurisdiction. More information is available at www.lipperweb.com. Thomson Reuters Copyright 2012, All Rights Reserved.

Contact: Victoria Odinotska
Kanter & Company
(703) 534-3735

 

 

SOURCE Forward Management, LLC

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http://www.forwardmgmt.com

First Publicly Registered Closed-End Fund that Provides Access to Institutional-Quality Real Estate Private Equity Investments

MONUMENT, Colo., Jan. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Advisors Asset Management, Inc. ("AAM"), a trusted investment solutions provider partnering with financial advisors and broker-dealers, announced today that it will act as "a sub-distributor" of the Versus Capital Multi-Manager Real Estate Income Fund (the "Fund"), the first publicly registered Investment Company Act fund to provide individual investors with access to institutional real estate managers and funds.

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Versus Capital Advisors LLC (the "Adviser"), an investment adviser focused on multi-manager institutional real estate investments, will act as adviser to the fund. Callan Associates, one of the largest independently owned investment firms in the country, will serve as sub-adviser.

"Our relationship with Versus is indicative of our efforts to provide advisors with investment solutions that help them deliver more diversified portfolios to their clients," said Andrew Williams, President of AAM. "Investors are increasingly seeking new sources of portfolio income while demanding the regulatory scrutiny that a post-Madoff world requires. We believe the Versus Capital Multi-Manager Real Estate Income Fund delivers on both counts."

The Fund's primary objective is to seek consistent current income, with a secondary objective to seek capital preservation and long-term capital appreciation by allocating capital primarily among a select group of institutional asset managers with expertise in managing portfolios of real estate and real estate-related securities. These are asset managers that have typically been reserved for institutional investors such as foundations, pensions, endowments and other institutions.

"We developed this Fund to give investors access to institutional direct real estate funds, a meaningful part of many wealth management portfolios, in a structure that removes many of the barriers typically associated with other direct real estate products," said Mark D. Quam, CEO of Versus Capital. "Investments in real estate provide meaningful advantages for investors, including income-oriented returns, portfolio diversification and a potential hedge against inflation."

The Fund directly addresses the need for low-minimum real estate investment vehicles and offers investors transparency not found in many other direct real estate products. The Fund additionally features no upfront fees, daily NAV pricing and potential quarterly liquidity.

"We are excited to build this relationship with Versus and offer advisors a true alternative to non-traded REITs," Mr. Williams said. "Our independence allows us to team with high-quality managers, offering innovative products to deliver truly diversified solutions to advisors, helping them grow their business and remain competitive for the future."

For more information about Advisors Asset Management, please contact Chris Moon of JCPR at 973-850-7304 or via email at cmoon@jcprinc.com.

About Versus Capital Advisors

Versus Capital Advisors LLC, is an investment adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, exclusively focused on building and managing multi-manager real estate and alternative investment platforms that seek to have an income oriented return focus and low correlation to the broader stock and bond markets.  Versus Capital builds these platforms to give individual investors access to institutional managers once reserved for foundations, endowments, pensions and other institutions.  For more information, please visit http://versuscapital.com/.

Advisors Asset Management

For more than 30 years, Advisors Asset Management, Inc. (AAM) has been a trusted investment solutions partner for financial advisors and broker-dealers. AAM provides a diverse range of innovative, high quality products and support services that enable advisors to meet their clients' needs. It offers access to the fixed income markets, as well as portfolio analytics, unit investment trusts (UITs), exchange traded funds (ETFs), structured products, separately managed accounts (SMAs) and alternative investments. In addition, the firm offers highly specialized sales support services to advisors on an ongoing basis. AAM has ten major offices across the nation and  partners with more than 90 broker-dealers and over 35,000 financial professionals. AAM is a broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC and SEC-registered investment advisor. For more information, visit www.aam.us.com.

Investors should consider the investment objectives and policies, risk considerations, charges and expenses of the Fund carefully before investing.  For a prospectus which contains this and other information relevant to an investor in the Fund, please contact AAM at 866.930.2663.  Investors should read the prospectus carefully before they invest or send money.

The Fund is a newly formed entity with no significant operating history upon which prospective investors may evaluate the Fund's potential performance. The Fund's investments may be negatively affected by the broad investment environment in the real estate market, the debt market and/or the equity securities market. Real estate is subject to special risks, among which are tenant default, environmental problems, and adverse changes in local economic conditions. The Fund is "non-diversified" under the Investment Company Act of 1940 since changes in the financial condition or market value of a single issuer may cause a greater fluctuation in the Fund's net asset value than in a "diversified" fund. The Fund is not intended to be a complete investment program. You should not expect to be able to sell your shares of beneficial interest of the Fund (the "Shares") other than through the Fund's repurchase policy, regardless of how the Fund performs. The Fund does not intend to list its Shares on any securities exchange during the offering period, and the Fund does not expect a secondary market in the Shares to develop. As a result of the foregoing, an investment in the Fund's Shares is not suitable for investors that require liquidity, other than liquidity provided through the Fund's repurchase policy. The success of the Fund depends in large part upon the ability of the Adviser to choose successful institutional asset managers (the "Investment Managers") and upon the ability of the Adviser and the Investment Managers to develop and implement investment strategies that achieve the Fund's investment objectives.

AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUND IS SUBJECT TO A HIGH DEGREE OF RISK. RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND, INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO, THOSE OUTLINED ABOVE. THE PROSPECTUS AND SUMMARY PROSPECTUS, WHICH YOU CAN OBTAIN FROM THE SUB-DISTRIBUTOR, CONTAIN THIS AND OTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUND INCLUDING RISKS, CHARGES, AND EXPENSES OF THE FUND AND SHOULD BE READ CAREFULLY BEFORE INVESTING.

Not FDIC Insured, No Bank Guarantee, May Lose Value.

CRN: 2011-1130-2888 R

 

SOURCE Advisors Asset Management

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http://www.aam.us.com

Conference Call on February 2

HARTFORD, Conn., Jan. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRTS) will release its 2011 fourth quarter and full year financial results after the market closes on Wednesday, February 1, 2012.

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George R. Aylward, president and chief executive officer, and Michael A. Angerthal, executive vice president and chief financial officer, will host a conference call with the investment community on Thursday, February 2 at 11 a.m. Eastern.

The webcast of the call will be broadcast live over the Internet at www.virtus.com in the Investor Relations section. The call can also be accessed by telephone at 866-730-5770 if calling from within the U.S. or 857-350-1594 if calling from outside the U.S. (Passcode: 21191893).  A replay of the call will be available through February 24 in the Investor Relations section of www.virtus.com, or by telephone at 888-286-8010 if calling from within the U.S. or 617-801-6888 if calling from outside the U.S. (Passcode: 18234501).  The presentation that will be reviewed as part of the conference call will be available on the Investor Relations section of the company's Web site.

About Virtus Investment Partners

Virtus Investment Partners (NASDAQ: VRTS) is a distinctive partnership of boutique investment managers singularly committed to the long-term success of individual and institutional investors.  The company provides investment management products and services through its affiliated managers and select subadvisers, each with a distinct investment style, autonomous investment process and individual brand.  Virtus Investment Partners offers access to a variety of investment styles across multiple disciplines to meet a wide array of investor needs.  Additional information can be found at www.virtus.com.         

SOURCE Virtus Investment Partners, Inc.

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http://www.virtus.com