Manulife John Hancock Investments Launches New Active Hedged Equity ETF

BOSTON, April 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ - Manulife John Hancock Investments today announced the launch of John Hancock Hedged Equity ETF (NYSE Arca: JHDG), managed by Manulife Investment Management (Manulife IM). With JHDG, Manulife John Hancock Investments' ETF platform now has 19 funds with more than $12 billion in assets under management.¹ Strategies include U.S. and international equity, preferred income, mortgage-backed securities, and corporate and municipal bonds.

The new ETF seeks to provide long-term capital appreciation with lower volatility and downside protection relative to broad equity markets. The fund pursues its objective through a combination of high-conviction fundamental equity selection and a dynamic options overlay. Manulife IM portfolio managers, Michael J. Scanlon, Jr. CFA, Pierre Micallef, CFA, and Jeffrey Wu are primarily responsible for the management of the fund's portfolio. The strategy has been managed by Manulife IM (US) since 2020, and this new ETF will be added to the strategy's composite. It is currently offered in a substantially similar style to Canadian investors through Canadian‑regulated investment vehicles.

"We're seeing strong and growing interest in John Hancock ETFs and are excited to expand our lineup with an actively managed hedged equity ETF," said Kristie Feinberg, President and CEO of Manulife John Hancock Investments. "Advisors are increasingly adopting active ETFs as part of more efficient, outcome‑oriented portfolio construction seeking potential benefits such as cost efficiency, tax efficiency, and diversification. This momentum underscores the meaningful role active ETFs can play in helping clients achieve their long‑term savings and investment goals."

Steve Deroian, Global Head of Exchange Traded Products and Models, Manulife John Hancock Investments, added, "JHDG expands our ETF lineup with an actively managed hedged equity approach that pairs high‑conviction stock selection with a disciplined options overlay designed to reduce volatility and downside risk. We believe advisors and their clients are looking for additional equity strategies that can pursue growth potential while helping clients stay invested through uncertainty."

1 As of December 31, 2025.

This material does not constitute tax, legal, or accounting advice, is for informational purposes only and is not meant as investment advice. Please consult your tax or financial professional before making any investment decisions. Diversification does not guarantee a profit or eliminate the risk of a loss.

Investing involves risks, including the potential loss of principal. There is no guarantee that a fund's investment strategy will be successful. It's possible that an active trading market for fund shares will not develop, which may hurt your ability to buy or sell fund shares, particularly in times of market stress. Trading securities actively can increase transactions costs, therefore lowering performance and taxable distributions. The value of a company's equity securities is subject to change in the company's financial condition and overall market and economic conditions. Value stocks may decline in price. Large company stocks could fall out of favor, and illiquid securities may be difficult to sell at a price approximating their value. Liquidity—the extent to which a security may be sold or a derivative position closed without negatively affecting its market value, if at all—may be impaired by reduced trading volume, heightened volatility, rising interest rates, and other market conditions. The use of hedging and derivatives could produce disproportionate gains or losses and may increase costs. A portfolio concentrated in one sector that holds a limited number of securities may fluctuate more than a more broadly diversified fund. Shares may trade at a premium or discount to their NAV in the secondary market. These variations may be greater when markets are volatile or subject to unusual conditions. There can be no assurance that active trading markets for the shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or authorized participants. Please see the fund's prospectus for additional risks.

A fund's investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses should be considered carefully before investing. The prospectus and summary prospectus contains this and other important information about the fund. To obtain a prospectus or summary prospectus, contact your financial professional, call us at 800-225-5291, or visit our website at jhinvestments.com/etf. Please read the prospectus and summary prospectus carefully before investing.

This press release is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

John Hancock ETFs are distributed by Foreside Fund Services, LLC in the United States, and are subadvised by Boston Partners, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP, Marathon Asset Management, or our affiliates Manulife Investment Management (US) LLC, and CQS (US), LLC. Foreside is not affiliated with John Hancock Investment Management Distributors LLC, Manulife Investment Management (US) LLC, CQS (US), LLC, Boston Partners, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP, or Marathon Asset Management.

Shares of the ETF are not redeemable with the ETF other than in creation unit aggregations. Instead, investors must buy or sell the ETF shares in the secondary market at market price (not NAV) through a broker-dealer. In doing so, the investor may incur brokerage commissions and may pay more than net asset value when buying and may receive less than net asset value when selling.

Statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined by the United States securities laws. You should exercise caution in interpreting and relying on forward-looking statements because they are subject to uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the ETF's control and could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

NOT FDIC INSURED. MAY LOSE VALUE. NO BANK GUARANTEE. NOT INSURED BY ANY GOVERNMENT AGENCY.

Manulife John Hancock Investments

At Manulife John Hancock Investments, we serve investors through a specialized multimanager approach, complementing our extensive in-house investment capabilities with a broad network of unaffiliated asset managers, backed by some of the most rigorous oversight in the industry. As a result, we're able to offer a variety of options in each investment category, an approach that we believe truly serves the best interests of our clients. Our powerful combination of global expertise, strategic partnerships, and robust stewardship is designed to help investors pursue better portfolio outcomes.

About Manulife Wealth & Asset Management

As part of Manulife Financial Corporation, Manulife Wealth & Asset Management's mission is to make decisions easier and lives better by helping people invest confidently to pursue a more secure financial future. Our strength comes from the diversity of our global asset management expertise and distribution capabilities. Our global investment teams span equities, fixed income, alternative credit, private markets, and multi-asset solutions. We provide investment, financial advice, and retirement plan services to millions of individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. At the heart of our approach are three cultural pillars: Partner for Progress, Trust through Transparency, and Intellectual Curiosity. These values shape how we build long term relationships, develop differentiated investment strategies, and empower advisors and clients to seek meaningful financial outcomes. Whether through cutting-edge technology, AI innovation, personalized advice, or sustainable stewardship, Manulife Wealth & Asset Management is a trusted partner helping clients navigate complexity and invest with confidence. Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit manulifeim.com.

Media contact                                
Elizabeth Bartlett
[email protected]

JHS-910482-2026-04-02   04/26

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