Franklin Templeton Investments is pleased to announce the launch of the Luxembourg-registered Franklin Euro Short Duration Bond Fund (the “Fund”), on 21 February 2014. The Fund will be managed by London-based David Zahn, head of European Fixed Income and lead portfolio manager, and Rod MacPhee. research analyst and portfolio manager, Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Group.

The new Fund will seek to preserve capital and liquidity while pursuing the best opportunities across a variety of European high-quality-short duration sectors. It will invest primarily in short-dated fixed and floating-rate debt securities and debt obligations of corporate and sovereign issuers located within the Eurozone that are rated investment grade or, if unrated, of comparable quality. The Fund will have some flexibility to invest outside the Eurozone, and across sectors. It may also, on an ancillary basis, purchase securitised debt and certain financial derivative instruments including index-based financial derivatives, credit default swaps and currency forwards.

The Fund’s investment philosophy is based on the belief that a portfolio built around a diversified set of actively managed positions has the potential to generate the most attractive risk/return profile over a full market cycle. Drawing on the expertise of Franklin Templeton Investments’ global fixed income platform, this multi-sector strategy has a value-based investment style that is structured to pursue diversified sources of alpha across markets, sectors and securities. It will seek to add value to portfolios by identifying and exploiting market inefficiencies while employing a disciplined risk management process.

David Zahn commented: “We believe it is an opportune time to launch this Fund as European short duration securities provide portfolio insulation and opportunity for enhanced return in rising rate environments. We find that European short duration fixed income is a growing sector as investors are continuing to seek yield with some level of protection from interest rate risk.”

Zahn added: “In addition, European short duration securities offer investors attractive diversification benefits given the investment universe’s low correlation with other major asset classes. The Franklin Euro Short Duration Bond Fund is suitable for investors looking for an actively-managed portfolio designed to help reduce overall portfolio risk.”

Jamie Hammond, Managing Director, Europe at Franklin Templeton Investments said: “The Fund has been launched in response to client demand from continental Europe and will fill a natural product gap in Franklin Templeton’s European fixed income product range. The launch marks the latest step in our initiative to promote our European fixed income capabilities, in recognition of strong institutional and retail client demand for dedicated European fixed income strategies.”

With over $397 billion under management, Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Group is a global leader in fixed income investment with over 40 years of experience managing single-sector and multi-sector investment strategies, and with risk management, compliance and operations support from Franklin Templeton Investments, a global investment manager.