497K 1 e364053_497k.htm 497K

John Hancock
Emerging Markets Debt Fund

 

SUMMARY PROSPECTUS 1-1-14

Before you invest, you may want to review the fund's prospectus, which contains more information about the fund and its risks. You can find the fund's prospectus and other information about the fund, including the Statement of Additional Information and most recent reports, online at www.jhinvestments.com/Forms/Prospectuses.aspx. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 800-225-5291 or by sending an email request to info@jhinvestments.com. The fund's prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, both dated 1-1-14, and most recent financial highlights information included in the shareholder report, dated 8-31-13, are incorporated by reference into this summary prospectus.

 

Class A: JMKAX

 

John Hancock Emerging Markets Debt Fund

 

 

An income fund

Investment objective

To seek total return with an emphasis on current income as well as capital appreciation.

Fees and expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts on Class A shares if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in the John Hancock family of funds. More information about these and other discounts is available on pages 16 to 18 of the prospectus under "Sales charge reductions and waivers" or pages 143 to 147 of the fund's Statement of Additional Information under "Initial sales charge on class A shares."

Shareholder fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

Class A

Maximum front-end sales charge (load) on purchases, as a % of purchase price

4.50%

Maximum deferred sales charge (load) as a % of purchase or sale price, whichever is less

1.00%
(on certain purchases, including those of $1 million or more)

Small account fee (for fund account balances under $1,000)

$20

 

Annual fund operating expenses (%) (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Class A

Management fee

0.72

Distribution and service (Rule 12b-1) fees

0.30

Other expenses1

0.52

Total annual fund operating expenses

1.54

Contractual expense reimbursement2

–0.19

Total annual fund operating expenses after expense reimbursements

1.35

1

"Other expenses" have been restated to reflect current transfer agency and service fees.

2

The advisor has contractually agreed to reduce all or a portion of its management fee and/or make payment to the fund to the extent necessary to maintain the fund's total operating expenses at 1.35% for Class A shares, excluding certain expenses such as taxes, brokerage commissions, interest expense, litigation and indemnification expenses and other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the fund's business, underlying fund expenses (acquired fund fees), and short dividend expense. The current expense limitation agreement expires on December 31, 2014, unless renewed by mutual agreement of the fund and the advisor based upon a determination that this is appropriate under the circumstances at that time. The advisor may recapture operating expenses reimbursed or fees waived under previous expense limitation or waiver arrangements for a period of three years following the month in which the reimbursements or waivers occurred to the extent that the fund is below its expense limitation during this period.

Expense example

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. Please see below a hypothetical example showing the expenses of a $10,000 investment for the time periods indicated and then assuming a redemption of all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example assumes a 5% average annual return. The example assumes fund expenses will not change over the periods. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

Expenses ($)

Class A

1 year

581

3 years

897

5 years

1,235

10 years

2,187

Portfolio turnover

The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund's performance. During its most recent fiscal year, the fund's portfolio turnover rate was 92% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies

Under normal market conditions, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in fixed-income securities and debt instruments of emerging-market issuers. The subadvisor may consider, but is not limited to, the classifications by the World Bank, the International Finance Corporations, or the United Nations and its agencies in determining whether a country is an emerging or a developed country. Examples of emerging-market countries include most African, Central Asian, Eastern European, and South and Central American nations.

The portfolio managers use proprietary research to identify specific countries, corporate sectors, and issuers that are attractively priced, and shall not be constrained by market capitalization, company fundamentals, security valuation or seasoning, or similar characteristics. The portfolio managers use economic and industry analysis to anticipate shifts in the business cycle and determine which countries and sectors might benefit over the next 12 months. Due to volatile conditions in emerging markets, the fund's investment process may result in a higher-than-average portfolio turnover ratio, which could increase transaction costs. In the event of extreme market conditions, the managers may temporarily depart from the investment strategy for defensive purposes.

A number of countries that the fund will invest in may not have sovereign ratings, may be below investment grade, or may be unrated. The fund may invest in corporate or other privately issued debt instruments of issuers having market capitalizations of below $1 billion at the time of investment. The debt securities in which the fund may invest include, but are not limited to, debt issued by governments or government agencies, including the U.S. Treasury; U.S. and foreign corporate debt instruments; mortgage- and asset-backed securities and collateralized mortgage obligations; and variable and floating-rate senior and subordinated corporate debt obligations. There is no limit on the maturities of the debt instruments in which the fund will invest. The fund may invest in securities denominated in any currency, including U.S. dollar-denominated emerging-market debt, and may be subject to unexpected, adverse currency fluctuations. The fund may attempt to mitigate the risk of unintended currency fluctuations through the use of exchange-listed or over-the-counter financial derivatives instruments, including currency forwards, nondeliverable forwards, currency options, interest-rate swaps, interest-rate futures, interest-rate options, index options, and credit default swaps.

Total return, commonly understood as the combination of income and capital appreciation, includes interest, capital gains, dividends, and distributions realized over a given period of time.

The fund is a non-diversified fund, which means that it may concentrate its assets in a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund and may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer.

Principal risks

An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The fund's shares will go up and down in price, meaning that you could lose money by investing in the fund. Many factors influence a mutual fund's performance.

Instability in the financial markets has led many governments, including the U.S. government, to take a number of unprecedented actions designed to support certain financial institutions and segments of the financial markets that have experienced extreme volatility and, in some cases, a lack of liquidity. Federal, state, and other governments, and their regulatory agencies or self-regulatory organizations, may take actions that affect the regulation of the instruments in which the fund invests, or the issuers of such instruments, in ways that are unforeseeable. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which the fund itself is regulated. Such legislation or regulation could limit or preclude the fund's ability to achieve its investment objective. In addition, political events within the United States and abroad, including the U.S. government's recent inability to agree on a long-term budget and deficit reduction plan and uncertainty surrounding sovereign debt of European Union members, could negatively impact financial markets and the fund's performance.

Governments or their agencies may also acquire distressed assets from financial institutions and acquire ownership interests in those institutions. The implications of government ownership and disposition of these assets are unclear, and such a program may have positive or negative effects on the liquidity, valuation, and performance of the fund's portfolio holdings. Furthermore, volatile financial markets can expose the fund to greater market and liquidity risk and potential difficulty in valuing portfolio instruments held by the fund.

The fund's main risk factors are listed below in alphabetical order. Before investing, be sure to read the additional descriptions of these risks beginning on page 6 of the prospectus.

Active management risk. The subadvisor's investment strategy may fail to produce the intended result.

Changing distribution levels risk. The distribution amounts paid by the fund generally depend on the amount of income and/or dividends paid by the fund's investments.

Credit and counterparty risk. The issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income security, the counterparty to an over-the-counter derivatives contract, or a borrower of a fund's securities may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest, or settlement payments, or to otherwise honor its obligations. U.S. government securities are subject to varying degrees of credit risk depending upon the nature of their support. Funds that invest in fixed-income securities are subject to varying degrees of risk that the issuers of the securities will have their credit rating downgraded or will default, potentially reducing a fund's share price and income level.

Currency risk. Fluctuations in exchange rates may adversely affect the U.S. dollar value of a fund's investments. Currency risk includes the risk that currencies in which a fund's investments are traded, or currencies in which a fund has taken an active position, will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar.

Economic and market events risk. Events in the financial markets have resulted, and may continue to result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestic and foreign. In addition, reduced liquidity in credit and fixed-income markets may adversely affect issuers worldwide. Banks and financial services companies could suffer losses if interest rates were to rise or economic conditions deteriorate.

Emerging-market risk. The risks of investing in foreign securities are greater for investments in emerging markets. Emerging-market countries may experience higher inflation, interest rates, and unemployment, as well as greater social, economic, regulatory, and political uncertainties than more developed countries.

Fixed-income securities risk. Fixed-income securities are affected by changes in interest rates and credit quality. A rise in interest rates typically causes bond prices to fall. The longer the average maturity or average duration of the bonds held by the fund, the more sensitive the fund is likely to be to interest-rate changes. There is the possibility that the issuer of the security will not repay all or a portion of the principal borrowed and will not make all interest payments.

Foreign securities risk. As compared with U.S. companies, there may be less publicly available information relating to foreign companies. Foreign securities may be subject to foreign taxes. The value of foreign securities is subject to currency fluctuations and adverse political and economic developments. Investments in emerging-market countries are subject to greater levels of foreign investment risk.

Hedging, derivatives, and other strategic transactions risk. Hedging, derivatives, and other strategic transactions may increase the volatility of a fund and, if the transaction is not successful, could result in a significant loss to a fund. The use of derivative instruments could produce disproportionate gains or losses, more than the principal amount invested. Investing in derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments and, in a down market, could become harder to value or sell at a fair price. The following is a list of certain derivatives and other strategic transactions in which the fund intends to invest and the main risks associated with each of them:

Credit default swaps. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), interest-rate risk, risk of default of the underlying reference obligation, and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving credit default swaps.

Foreign currency forward contracts. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), foreign currency risk, and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving foreign currency forward contracts.

Foreign currency swaps. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), foreign currency risk, and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving foreign currency swaps.

Futures contracts. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving futures contracts.

Interest-rate swaps. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), interest-rate risk, and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving interest-rate swaps.

Options. Counterparty risk, liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions), and risk of disproportionate loss are the principal risks of engaging in transactions involving options. Counterparty risk does not apply to exchange-traded options.

High portfolio turnover risk. Actively trading securities can increase transaction costs (thus lowering performance) and taxable distributions.

Liquidity risk. Exposure exists when trading volume, lack of a market maker, or legal restrictions impair the ability to sell particular securities or close derivative positions at an advantageous price.

Lower-rated fixed-income securities risk and high-yield securities risk. Lower-rated fixed-income securities and high-yield fixed-income securities (commonly known as junk bonds) are subject to greater credit quality risk and risk of default than higher-rated fixed-income securities. These securities may be considered speculative and the value of these securities can be more volatile due to increased sensitivity to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market, or economic developments and can be difficult to resell.

Medium and smaller company risk. The prices of medium and smaller company stocks can change more frequently and dramatically than those of large company stocks. For purposes of the fund's investment policies, the market capitalization of a company is based on its market capitalization at the time the fund purchases the company's securities. Market capitalizations of companies change over time.

Mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities risk. Different types of mortgage-backed securities and asset-backed securities are subject to different combinations of prepayment, extension, interest-rate, and/or other market risks.

Non-diversified risk. Overall risk can be reduced by investing in securities from a diversified pool of issuers and is increased by investing in securities of a small number of issuers. Investments in a non-diversified fund may magnify the fund's losses from adverse events affecting a particular issuer.

Sector risk. Because the fund may, from time to time, focus on one or more sectors of the economy, at such times its performance will depend in large part on the performance of those sectors. A fund that invests in particular sectors is particularly susceptible to the impact of market, economic, regulatory, and other factors affecting those sectors. As a result, at such times, the value of your investment may fluctuate more widely than it would in a fund that is invested across sectors.

Past performance

The following performance information in the bar chart and table below illustrates the variability of the fund's returns and provides some indication of the risks of investing in the fund by showing changes in the fund's performance from year to year. However, past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate future results. All figures assume dividend reinvestment. Performance for the fund is updated daily, monthly, and quarterly, and may be obtained at our website:

www.jhinvestments.com/FundPerformance, or by calling 800-225-5291, Monday–Thursday, between 8:00 A.M. and 7:00 P.M., and on Fridays between 8:00 A.M. and 6:00 P.M., Eastern time.

Calendar year total returns. These do not include sales charges and would have been lower if they did.

Average annual total returns. Performance of a broad-based market index is included for comparison.

After-tax returns. These reflect the highest individual federal marginal income-tax rates in effect as of the date provided and do not reflect any state or local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns may be different. After-tax returns are not relevant to shares held in an IRA, 401(k), or other tax-advantaged investment plan.

Calendar year total returns—Class A (%)

Year-to-date total return. The fund's total return for the nine months ended September 30, 2013, was –6.60%.

Best quarter: Q1 '12, 7.27%

Worst quarter: Q3 '11, -8.89%

 

Average annual total returns (%)

1 year

Inception

As of 12-31-12

01-04-10

Class A before tax

13.33

8.53

After tax on distributions

10.65

5.88

After tax on distributions, with sale

8.93

5.78

JP Morgan EMBI Global Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)

18.54

12.94

Investment management

Investment advisor John Hancock Advisers, LLC
Subadvisor John Hancock Asset Management a division of Manulife Asset Management (US) LLC

Portfolio management

 

Roberto Sanchez-Dahl, CFA
Managing Director, Senior Portfolio Manager
Joined fund team in 2013

Paolo H. Valle
Managing Director, Senior Portfolio Manager
Joined fund team in 2013

Purchase and sale of fund shares

The minimum initial investment requirement for Class A shares of the fund is $1,000, except for group investments, which is $250. There are no subsequent investment requirements. You may redeem shares of the fund on any business day through our website: jhinvestments.com; by mail: Investment Operations, John Hancock Signature Services, Inc., P.O. Box 55913, Boston, Massachusetts 02205-5913; or by telephone: 800-225-5291.

Taxes

The fund's distributions are taxable, and will be taxed as ordinary income and/or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or individual retirement account. Withdrawals from such tax-deferred arrangements may be subject to tax at a later date.

Payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries

If you purchase the fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank, registered investment advisor, financial planner, or retirement plan administrator), the fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary's website for more information.

© 2014 JOHN HANCOCK FUNDS, LLC 3580SP 1-1-14 SEC file number: 811-21779