U.S. equity investing at John Hancock Investment Management

Investing in U.S. equities is one of the best ways to build wealth over the long term. Explore time-tested strategies for overcoming short-term setbacks and making the most of the market’s long-term potential.

U.S. equity funds are designed to help:

Pursue capital appreciation
Provide diversification from non-U.S. equities

EXPLORE OUR FUNDS

U.S. equity funds are designed to help:

Pursue capital appreciation
Provide diversification from non-U.S. equities

EXPLORE OUR FUNDS

Equities have helped investors build wealth

More than any other investment, stocks represent the dynamic nature and growth potential of a country’s economy. Over time, stocks have helped millions of investors build wealth, outpacing bonds and inflation over the long term despite wars, recessions, and a host of other setbacks along the way.

Stocks have outpaced bonds and inflation over time, despite a litany of volatility-inducing events

Source for the mountain chart (above): John Hancock Investment Management, 2018. The S&P 500 Index tracks the performance of 500 of the largest publicly traded companies in the United States. The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index tracks the performance of U.S. investment-grade bonds in government, asset-backed, and corporate debt markets. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a comprehensive measure used for estimation of price changes in a basket of goods and services representative of consumption expenditure in an economy. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

Market pullbacks are normal

Occasionally, setbacks to the market’s overall advance can make stock investing feel like a losing proposition. The challenge for investors is to ride out these temporary storms and remember that while the market doesn’t go up in a straight line, it has gone up over time.

The market will often experience setbacks before moving higher

S&P 500 Index (1983–2018)

Source: Standard & Poor’s, John Hancock Investment Management, as of 12/31/18. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

U.S. equities have always recovered

Any investor who has lived through a bear market knows how unpleasant it can be. History shows, however, that U.S. stocks have always recovered, and that bull markets have created far more wealth over time than bear markets have taken away.

Bull markets have tended to outlast bear markets

S&P 500 Index (1946-2018)

Average duration

Average return

Bull markets

52 months

+125%

Bear markets

15 months

−30%

Source: Standard & Poor’s, as of 12/31/18. The S&P 500 Index tracks the performance of 500 of the largest publicly traded companies in the United States. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

Three time-tested strategies for U.S. equity investors

1. Invest regularly

Steadily investing through market setbacks takes advantage of temporarily low prices.

Buy and hold

$10,000 invested in stocks at the start of the 2007/2008 financial crisis (December 2007)

Steady investing

$5,000 invested in stocks at the start of the 2007/2008 financial crisis (December 2007), plus $100 invested monthly (from January 2008 to February 2012), for a total of $10,000

Source: John Hancock Investment Management, 12/31/18. Market performance is represented by the S&P 500 Index. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. This is a hypothetical example and does not reflect the performance of any John Hancock fund.

2. Stay invested

Because market rebounds are unpredictable, staying invested may ensure you won’t miss them.

The cost of moving in and out of funds

Average annual returns (1998–2017)

The average fund holding period was just 4.03 years, and that lack of patience came at a price.

Source: “DALBAR’s 24^rd Annual Quantitative Analysis of Investor Behavior,” DALBAR, Inc., 2017. Equity fund investor returns are calculated using data supplied by the Investment Company Institute that represents the change in total mutual fund assets after excluding sales charges, redemptions, and exchanges, and does not reflect the performance of any John Hancock fund. This method of calculation captures realized and unrealized capital gains, dividends, interest, trading costs, sales charges, fees, expenses, and any other costs. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.

The value of staying invested

20-year growth of $10,000 (1999–2018)

Staying fully invested helps ensure that you don’t miss the market’s best days.

Source: Bloomberg, as of 12/31/18. This table is for illustrative purposes only and is a hypothetical example that does not reflect the performance of any John Hancock fund. Market performance is represented by the S&P 500 Index. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.

3. Diversify

Owning a broad mix of asset classes increases your chances of navigating the market’s

winners and losers.

Source: Morningstar, as of 12/31/18. Investment-grade bonds are represented by the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index, which tracks the performance of U.S. investment-grade bonds in government, asset-backed, and corporate debt markets. High-yield bonds are represented by the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BofA ML) U.S. High Yield Master II Index, which tracks the performance of globally issued, U.S. dollar-denominated high-yield bonds. Cash is represented by the FTSE 3-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index, which is a market-value-weighted index that tracks the performance of three-month U.S. Treasury debt. International equity is represented by the MSCI All Country (AC) World ex-USA Index, which tracks the performance of publicly traded large- and mid-cap stocks of companies in developed and emerging markets outside the United States. U.S. small-cap equity is represented by the Russell 2000 Index, which tracks the performance of 2,000 publicly traded small-cap companies in the United States. U.S. large-cap equity is represented by the Russell 1000 Index, which tracks the performance of 1,000 publicly traded large-cap companies in the United States. Alternatives are represented by an equally weighted combination of the HFRI Macro Index, the HFRI Equity Market Neutral Index, the HFRI Merger Arbitrage Index, the Morningstar real estate fund category average, the Morningstar emerging markets bond fund category average, and the Morningstar Long-Only Commodity Index. Diversified portfolio is represented by the average return of the six asset classes in the chart above, rebalanced monthly, excluding cash. It does not represent any specific index. Annual returns are based on calendar years. Indexes are unmanaged and do not take transaction costs or fees into consideration. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. Performance figures assume reinvestment of dividends and capital gains. This chart is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent the performance of any John Hancock fund. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Diversification does not guarantee a profit or eliminate the risk of a loss.

Finding the best specialized manager for every fund we offer

Our multimanager approach puts us in a unique position to evaluate the skill sets, track records,

and experience of today’s portfolio managers, and our U.S. equity lineup features a range of

portfolios managed by some of the industry’s best teams.

Explore our U.S. equity funds

At John Hancock Investment Management, our U.S. equity funds are designed to address a range of investor needs. We’ve offered U.S. equity strategies to individual and institutional investors for more than 30 years, and today we oversee over $50 billion in U.S. equities across a range of strategies, managed by some of the best specialized portfolio teams from around the world.

As of 3/31/18.

TICKER	FUND NAME	MANAGED BY	MORNINGSTAR CATEGORY	USE FOR
JCVIX	Classic Value Fund	Pzena Investment Management	Large Value	Deep value strategy
JVLIX	Disciplined Value Fund	Boston Partners	Large Value	Core large-cap holding
JVMIX	Disciplined Value Mid Cap Fund	Boston Partners	Mid-Cap Blend	Core mid-cap holding
JHKIX	ESG All Cap Core Fund	Trillium Asset Management	Large Growth	Opportunistic equity holding
JHJIX	ESG Large Cap Core Fund	Trillium Asset Management	Large Blend	Opportunistic equity holding
JFIFX	Financial Industries Fund	Manulife Investment Management	Financial	Financials sector exposure
JFCIX	Fundamental All Cap Core Fund	Manulife Investment Management	Large Growth	Core equity holding
JLVIX	Fundamental Large Cap Core Fund	Manulife Investment Management	Large Blend	Core large-cap holding
JFVIX	Fundamental Large Cap Value Fund	Manulife Investment Management	Large Value	Core equity holding
JHML	Multifactor Large Cap ETF	Dimensional Fund Advisors	Large Blend	Core equity holding
JHMM	Multifactor Mid Cap ETF	Dimensional Fund Advisors	Mid-Cap Blend	Core equity holding
JHSC	Multifactor Small Cap ETF	Dimensional Fund Advisors	Small Blend	Core equity holding
JHSOX	New Opportunities Fund	Multiple managers	Small Blend	Small-cap core holding
PDT	Premium Dividend Fund	Manulife Investment Management	Closed-End Preferred Stock	Diversifying sources of equity income
JRBFX	Regional Bank Fund	Manulife Investment Management	Financial	Regional bank sector exposure
JCCIX	Small Cap Core Fund	Manulife Investment Management	Small Blend	Core small-cap holding
JSJIX	Small Cap Growth Fund	Redwood Investments	Small Growth	Small-cap growth holding
JSCBX	Small Cap Value Fund	Wellington Management	Small Blend	Small-cap value holding
HTD	Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund	Multiple managers	Closed-End Allocation- 50% to 70% Equity	Tax-sensitive equity income
USLIX	U.S. Global Leaders Growth Fund	Sustainable Growth Advisers	Large Growth	Conservative large-cap growth
JSGIX	U.S. Quality Growth Fund	Wellington Management	Large Growth	Core large-cap growth holding
JVEIX	Value Equity Fund	Barrow, Hanley, Mewhinney & Strauss	Large Value	Conservative equity allocation

Want better insight into your portfolios? Request an equity audit

Financial advisors: Request a complimentary analysis of your equity allocations to ensure you’re positioned appropriately for today’s market. Together, we’ll conduct a:

• Comprehensive performance review of the funds you select

• Detailed portfolio characteristics comparison

• Sector exposure X-ray to identify potential areas of overlap

• Full risk/return analysis across market cycles

Investing involves risks, including the potential loss of principal. These products carry many individual risks, including some that are unique to each fund. Please click a fund's name above to learn all of the risks associated with each investment.