JSTCX
Income Fund
John Hancock Strategic Series
Expense ratio1
1.53%
Net assets2
$1.78B
Holdings2
441
Category
Taxable Bond
2025 return3
6.07%

Investment objective & strategy

As of Sept. 25, 2025 · prospectus

Objective. To seek a high level of current income.

Strategy. Under normal market conditions, the fund invests primarily in the following types of securities: foreign government and corporate debt securities from developed and emerging markets, U.S. government and agency securities, and domestic high-yield bonds. The fund may also invest in preferred securities and other types of debt securities, including mortgage- and asset-backed securities and loans. Some loans may be illiquid. Although the fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in securities rated as low as D (in default) by S&P Global Ratings (S&P), Moodys Investors Service, Inc. (Moodys), Fitch Ratings, Inc. (Fitch Ratings), or comparable rating by any nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO), or their unrated equivalents, it generally intends to keep its average credit quality … Under normal market conditions, the fund invests primarily in the following types of securities: foreign government and corporate debt securities from developed and emerging markets, U.S. government and agency securities, and domestic high-yield bonds. The fund may also invest in preferred securities and other types of debt securities, including mortgage- and asset-backed securities and loans. Some loans may be illiquid. Although the fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in securities rated as low as D (in default) by S&P Global Ratings (S&P), Moodys Investors Service, Inc. (Moodys), Fitch Ratings, Inc. (Fitch Ratings), or comparable rating by any nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO), or their unrated equivalents, it generally intends to keep its average credit quality in the investment-grade range (AAA to BBB). The funds investment policies are based on credit ratings at the time of purchase. There is no limit on the funds average maturity. The manager allocates assets among the three major types of securities based on analysis of economic factors such as projected international interest-rate movements, industry cycles, and political trends. The manager may invest up to 100% of the funds assets in any one sector. In making investment decisions, the manager looks at relative yield, credit quality, structure, industry distribution, and risk/reward ratios, among other factors. The manager considers environmental, social, and/or governance (ESG) factors, alongside other relevant factors, as part of its investment process. ESG factors may include, but are not limited to, matters regarding board diversity, climate change policies, and supply chain and human rights policies. The ESG characteristics utilized in the funds investment process may change over time and one or more characteristics may not be relevant with respect to all issuers that are eligible fund investments. Because ESG factors are considered alongside other relevant factors, the manager may determine that an investment is appropriate notwithstanding its relative ESG characteristics. The fund may use certain higher-risk investments, including restricted or illiquid securities and derivatives. Derivatives may be used to reduce risk, obtain efficient market exposure, and/or enhance investment returns, and may include futures contracts on securities, indexes, and foreign currency; options on futures contracts, securities, indexes, and foreign currency; interest-rate, foreign currency, and credit default swaps; and foreign currency forward contracts. The fund may invest up to 10% of its net assets in domestic or foreign common stocks. The fund may trade securities actively.

Top holdings

As of Feb. 28, 2026 · N-PORT
SecurityTickerValue% of fund
US TREASURY N/B $40.50M 2.28%
JH COLLATERAL $33.94M 1.91%
US TREASURY N/B $26.80M 1.51%
US TREASURY N/B $24.63M 1.39%
JAPAN GOVERNMENT TWO YEAR BOND BONDS 12/26 0.6 JGB $20.94M 1.18%
US TREASURY N/B $18.31M 1.03%
BRAZIL NOTAS DO TESOURO NACION NOTES 01/27 10 BNTNF $17.27M 0.97%
UNITED KINGDOM GILT BONDS REGS 10/31 4 UKT $15.70M 0.88%
CZECH REPUBLIC GOVERNMENT BOND SR UNSECURED 11/32 4.5 CZGB $14.69M 0.83%
Bundesrepublik Deutschland Bundesanleihe DBR $14.32M 0.81%
View all holdings →

Allocation by sector

As of February 28, 2026 · N-PORT
View portfolio breakdown →

Portfolio moves

Nov 30, 2025 → Feb 28, 2026
Opened
49
Exited
51
Increased
25
Decreased
159
Unchanged
217

How 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.

View portfolio moves →

Similar funds

Funds whose portfolios most overlap this one, by weight
FundOverlapNet exp.
Strategic Income Opportunities Fund · JIPAX, JIPCX, JIPIX, JIPRX, JIPPX 62% 0.65%
Strategic Income Opportunities Trust · JVRNX, JESNX, JESPX 60% 0.71%
Wilshire Income Opportunities Fund · WIORX, WIOPX 26% 0.90%
View all similar funds →

Advisers

As of May 31, 2025 · N-CEN
FirmRole
John Hancock Investment Management LLC Adviser
Manulife Investment Management (US) LLC Sub-adviser

Footnotes

  1. Expense ratio as of September 25, 2025, from the fund's prospectus.
  2. Net assets and holdings count as of February 28, 2026, from the fund's N-PORT filing.
  3. 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).

Machine-readable: JSON · Markdown. Programmatic access via the agent surface.