PIMCO to Launch Foreign Currency Strategy Exchange Traded Fund (FORX)

NEWPORT BEACH, CA--(Marketwire - Feb 11, 2013) - PIMCO, a leading global investment management firm, will list Feb. 12 the PIMCO Foreign Currency Strategy Exchange Traded Fund (NYSE: FORX), created to offer investors the potential to benefit from fundamental changes in global currency dynamics by diversifying away from the dollar. The fund will be jointly managed by Scott Mather, managing director and head of global portfolio management; Vineer Bhansali, managing director and head of quantitative investment portfolios; and Thomas Kressin, senior vice president and head of European foreign exchange.

Rising debt levels, limited fiscal flexibility and easy monetary policy in the U.S. may weigh on the dollar for years. FORX is a portfolio of currencies and local currency bonds actively managed to help investors diversify out of the dollar and preserve their purchasing power. The active management is a notable difference for an ETF marketplace made up mostly of passive products in which investors generally must form their own views on individual currencies or currency indexes.

"The ongoing transition away from the dollar as the preeminent global reserve currency is continuing and many competing currencies increasingly offer better yields and long-term credit dynamics," said Mr. Mather. "FORX is a purer way to gain foreign currency exposure and also avoids the unwanted exposures that can come with holding indirect currency plays such as equities or commodities."

PIMCO has decades of experience managing currencies on behalf of large institutional clients and has deep executional ability in the multi-trillion-dollar foreign currency market. Strategic allocations across developed and emerging currencies are based on the firm's investment outlook, which includes macroeconomic insights formulated by the firm's Investment Committee and based on the output of cyclical and secular economic forums.

FORX continues the expansion and innovation of PIMCO's range of actively managed ETFs, which combine PIMCO's time-tested global investment process with the tradability of the ETF vehicle, providing investors with intraday pricing and daily portfolio disclosure in a single share class.

The PIMCO Foreign Currency Strategy Exchange Traded Fund will trade under the ticker symbol FORX.

About PIMCO
PIMCO is a leading global investment management firm, with offices in 12 countries throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Founded in 1971, PIMCO offers a wide range of innovative solutions to help millions of investors worldwide meet their needs. Our goal is to provide attractive returns while maintaining a strong culture of risk management and long-term discipline. PIMCO is owned by Allianz S.E., a leading global diversified financial services provider.

Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the funds carefully before investing. This and other information are contained in the Fund's prospectus, which may be obtained by contacting your PIMCO representative. Please read the prospectus carefully before you invest.

Exchange Traded Funds ("ETF") are afforded certain exemptions from the Investment Company Act. The exemptions allow, among other things, for individual shares to trade on the secondary market. Individual shares cannot be directly purchased from or redeemed by the ETF. Purchases and redemptions directly with ETFs are only accomplished through creation unit aggregations or "baskets" of shares. Shares of an ETF are bought and sold at market price (not NAV). Brokerage commissions will reduce returns. Investment policies, management fees and other information can be found in the individual ETF's prospectus.

Buying or selling ETF shares on an exchange may require the payment of brokerage commissions. Due to the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment returns. Investment in Fund shares may not be advisable for investors who expect to engage in frequent trading.

A word about risk: Investing in the bond market is subject to certain risks including the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of changes in interest rates; the risk that fund shares could trade at prices other than the net asset value; and the risk that the manager's investment decisions might not produce the desired results. Investing in foreign-denominated and/or -domiciled securities may involve heightened risk due to currency fluctuations, and economic and political risks, which may be enhanced in emerging markets. Currency rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time and may reduce the returns of a portfolio. High yield, lower-rated securities involve greater risk than higher-rated securities; portfolios that invest in them may be subject to greater levels of credit and liquidity risk than portfolios that do not. Derivatives may involve certain costs and risks such as liquidity, interest rate, market, credit, management and the risk that a position could not be closed when most advantageous. Investing in derivatives could lose more than the amount invested.

Foreign (non-U.S.) fixed income securities will settle in accordance with the normal rules of settlement in the applicable foreign (non-U.S.) market. Foreign holidays that may impact a foreign market may extend the period of time between the date of receipt of a redemption order and the redemption settlement date. Please see the Funds Statement of Additional Information at www.pimcoetfs.com.

Premiums (when market price is above NAV) or discounts (when market price is below NAV) reflect the differences (expressed as a percentage) between the NAV and the Market Price of the Fund on a given day, generally at the time the NAV is calculated. A discount or premium could be significant. Data in chart format displaying the frequency distribution of discounts and premiums of the Market Price against the NAV can be found for each Fund at www.pimcoetfs.com.

This material has been distributed for informational purposes only and should not be considered as investment advice or a recommendation of any particular security, strategy or investment product. Information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but not guaranteed. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication, without express written permission. PIMCO and YOUR GLOBAL INVESTMENT AUTHORITY are trademarks or registered trademarks of Allianz Asset Management of America L.P. and Pacific Investment Management Company LLC, respectively, in the United States and throughout the world. ©2013, PIMCO.PIMCO Investments LLC, distributor, 1633 Broadway, New York, NY, 10019 is a company of PIMCO. Except for the historical information and discussions contained herein, statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, including the performance of financial markets, the investment performance of PIMCO's sponsored investment products and separately managed accounts, general economic conditions, future acquisitions, competitive conditions and government regulations, including changes in tax laws. Readers should carefully consider such factors. Further, such forward-looking statements speak only on the date at which such statements are made. PIMCO undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statement.