Investment objective & strategy
As of Sept. 25, 2025 · prospectusObjective. To seek total return exempt from federal income tax as is consistent with preservation of capital.
Strategy. Under normal market conditions, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus amounts borrowed for investment purposes, in municipal bonds that pay interest exempt from federal income tax. Most of these securities are investment-grade, although the fund may invest up to 35% of its net assets in below-investment-grade debt securities (junk bonds) rated as low as CC by S&P Global Ratings (S&P) and Fitch Ratings, Inc. (Fitch Ratings) and Ca by Moodys Investors Service, Inc. (Moodys), or comparable rating by any nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO), or their unrated equivalents. Non-investment grade securities may also be referred to as below investment grade securities, commonly known as junk bonds. The fund may invest in fixed income securities … Under normal market conditions, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus amounts borrowed for investment purposes, in municipal bonds that pay interest exempt from federal income tax. Most of these securities are investment-grade, although the fund may invest up to 35% of its net assets in below-investment-grade debt securities (junk bonds) rated as low as CC by S&P Global Ratings (S&P) and Fitch Ratings, Inc. (Fitch Ratings) and Ca by Moodys Investors Service, Inc. (Moodys), or comparable rating by any nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO), or their unrated equivalents. Non-investment grade securities may also be referred to as below investment grade securities, commonly known as junk bonds. The fund may invest in fixed income securities which include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments. The funds investment policies are based on credit ratings at the time of purchase. The fund may buy municipal bonds and other fixed income securities of any maturity. The fund will have an average effective duration of 4.5 years or less. Duration is a measure of the sensitivity of a fixed income securitys price to changes in interest rates. The fund may invest heavily in bonds from any given state or region and may have substantial investments in obligations of certain states and their agencies, instrumentalities, and/or political subdivisions. The manager may implement short-term trading strategies to take advantage of pricing imbalances within the municipal bond market. There is no guarantee that the manager will be able to implement these strategies effectively and the strategies may have a more significant impact on the fund's performance before it achieves scale. The fund may engage in derivative transactions that include futures contracts on debt securities and debt securities indexes; options on futures, debt securities, and debt indexes; and inverse floating-rate securities, in each case, for the purposes of reducing risk and/or enhancing investment returns. The fund may invest in general obligation bonds, however, in general, the manager favors bonds backed by revenue from a specific public project or facility, such as a power plant (revenue bonds), as they tend to offer higher yields than general obligation bonds.
Top holdings
As of Feb. 28, 2026 · N-PORT| Security | Ticker | Value | % of fund |
|---|---|---|---|
| JH COLLATERAL | — | $10.05M | 6.98% |
| TN TNSUTL 5 11/01/2034 | TNSUTL | $3.32M | 2.31% |
| MASSACHUSETTS ST DEV FIN AGY S MASSACHUSETTS DEVELOPMENT FINANCE AGENCY | — | $3.16M | 2.20% |
| TENNERGY CORP TN GAS REVENUE TGYPWR 10/53 ADJUSTABLE VAR | — | $2.72M | 1.89% |
| Illinois Development Finance Authority, Series 2000, RB | — | $2.50M | 1.74% |
| CA CCEDEV 5 03/01/2036 | — | $2.18M | 1.51% |
| Black Belt Energy Gas District, Series 2025, RB | BBEUTL | $1.85M | 1.28% |
| TX LAVMFH 11/01/2044 | LAVMFH | $1.71M | 1.19% |
| Main Street Energy, Inc., Series D | MSEPWR | $1.64M | 1.14% |
| HOPEWELL VALLEY REGIONAL SCHOO HWVSCD 02/32 FIXED OID 1 | — | $1.53M | 1.06% |
Portfolio moves
Nov 30, 2025 → Feb 28, 2026How many positions this fund opened, exited, grew, trimmed, or left unchanged between its two most recent N-PORT snapshots — net changes between point-in-time reports, not a trade log.
Similar funds
Funds whose portfolios most overlap this one, by weight| Fund | Overlap | Net exp. |
|---|---|---|
| John Hancock Dynamic Municipal Bond ETF · JHMU | 24% | 0.39% |
| Municipal Opportunities Fund · TAMBX, TBMBX, JTBDX, JTMRX | 23% | 0.52% |
| MFS Municipal Limited Maturity Fund · MTLFX, MTLBX, MTLCX, MTLIX, MTLRX | 7% | 0.36% |
Advisers
| Firm | Role |
|---|---|
| John Hancock Investment Management LLC | Adviser |
| Manulife Investment Management (US) LLC | Sub-adviser |
Footnotes
- Expense ratio as of September 25, 2025, from the fund's prospectus.
- Net assets and holdings count as of February 28, 2026, from the fund's N-PORT filing.
- Total return for calendar year 2025, before tax and after fund expenses. Computed by compounding the twelve monthly total returns the fund reported in its SEC N-PORT filings for 2025 (the latest prospectus does not yet chart this year).
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