AGF Funds Inc. announced today it is adding a dedicated emerging markets equities component and manager to Harmony Overseas Equity Pool, effective May 2, 2008.
 
“Investors in Harmony Overseas Equity Pool will gain broader exposure and better diversification through investments in emerging markets, which span more than 25 countries around the world,” said AGF Funds Inc. President Randy Ambrosie. “They will also benefit from a dedicated emerging markets manager whose specific expertise is analyzing, researching and investing in these markets.”

The emerging markets component will be managed by Principal Global Investors, which has more than 13 years experience and manages more than US$4.8 billion in emerging markets mandates (as at December 31, 2007).  Principal’s emerging markets portfolio has delivered consistent, strong long-term performance. The firm’s management team combines quantitative and fundamental bottom-up research to select investments in companies with improving business fundamentals, rising investor expectations and attractive valuations. Its emerging markets portfolio will be broadly diversified across countries and regions.

The target allocation for the emerging markets portion of Harmony Overseas Equity Pool is a maximum of ten per cent. Harris Associates and McKinley Capital will continue to manage the remainder of the Pool, which has more than $500 million in assets.

Principal Global Investors is a diversified institutional asset manager and wholly-owned affiliate of Principal Financial Group, with more than US$240 billion in assets under management.  Principal was selected to manage the emerging markets portion of Harmony Overseas Equity Pool by Wilshire Associates Incorporated, which provides its independent, third-party money management expertise to allocate assets, select managers and construct portfolios for AGF’s Harmony managed asset program.

Harmony provides investors with access to a managed asset program offering seven distinct portfolios and six investment pools managed by leading institutional fund managers.
 

About AGF Management Limited
AGF Management Limited is one of Canada’s premier investment management companies with offices across Canada and subsidiaries around the world.  AGF’s products and services include a diversified family of more than 50 mutual funds, the evolutionary AGF Elements portfolios, the Harmony asset management program, AGF Asset Management Group services for institutional and high-net-worth clients, as well as AGF Trust GICs, loans and mortgages. With approximately $50 billion in total assets under management, AGF serves more than one million investors. AGF trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol AGF.B.

For more information, contact AGF Corporate Communications:

Lucy Becker, Vice-President
416-865-4284
Lucy.Becker@agf.com

Karen Danylak, Director
416-865-4308
Karen.Danylak@agf.com

Karen Archer, Media Relations Specialist
416-865-4295
Karen.Archer@agf.com