Portfolio

Even as an increasing number of Asian and emerging market funds announce plans to liquidate, merge or change their mandates because of poor returns, INVESCO is starting a new international fund, the International Blue Chip fund.

John Hancock Funds is changing the names of two of its funds. The John Hancock Sovereign Bond Fund is changing its name to the John Hancock Bond Fund, and the John Hancock Global Rx Fund is changing its name to the John Hancock Global Health Sciences Fund. The changes were approved by the board of trustees of each fund. The investment objectives of both funds will remain unchanged.

Bank of Montreal is counting on Canada's weakened currency for the success of the three latest additions to its First Canadian family of funds. Launched on Oct. 2, the U.S.-dollar-denominated funds are designed for investors who are looking to hedge their currency bets through diversification. The funds include a money market, a bond and an equity index fund. The bond fund will invest in U.S.-government debt and the index will track the S&P 500 total return index.

Fidelity customers will be able to check stock and mutual fund quotes by phone using Fidelity Investment's speech recognition system. By October, customers will be able to call Fidelity's automated line, say the name of the stock, mutual fund, index or option over the phone and receive an updated quote.

American Skandia has added three new funds to the American Skandia Advisor Funds family. The new funds are: the ASAF Marsico Capital Growth Fund, which is managed by Tom Marsico.; the ASAF Neuberger&Berman Midcap Growth Fund, managed by Jennifer Silver, former manager of the Putnam Ultra Fund; and the ASAF Neuberger&Berman MidCap Value Fund, which is co-managed by Michael Kassen and Bob Gendelman.

Spectrem Group, a San Francisco-based research and consulting firm, is launching a new study of the market for retirement plans among the estimated nine million U.S. companies with less than 100 employees.

AIM Advisors, Inc., will be folding three former G.T. Global funds into the AIM Fund Family. In May, AIM's parent, AMVESCAP PLC, bought the Asset Management Division of Liechtenstein Global Trust, which operated in the U.S. as GT Global. The three funds will be merged into other funds with similar investment objectives.