John Hancock Financial Trends Fund Announces Income Dividend and Capital Gain Distribution

John Hancock Financial Trends Fund Announces Income Dividend and
Capital Gain Distribution 


BOSTON, Dec. 13  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- John Hancock Financial Trends Fund
(NASDAQ:JHFT) announced today that the fund will pay an income dividend and
capital gain distributions as follows:

   Declaration Date:             December 13, 2004
   Ex Date:                      December 21, 2004
   Record Date:                  December 23, 2004
   Payable Date:                 December 31, 2004

   Source of Distribution        Per Share
   Dividend Income               $0.10000
   Short-Term Capital Gain       $0.20218
   Long-Term Capital Gain        $0.76415
   Total Distribution            $1.06633



John Hancock Financial Trends Fund is a diversified, closed-end fund. The Fund
seeks long-term capital appreciation with current income as a secondary
objective by investing at least 80% of its assets in stocks of U.S. and foreign
financial services companies of any size.

John Hancock Funds, a premier investment management company, managed
approximately $29 billion in open-end funds, closed-end funds, private
accounts, retirement plans and related party assets for individual and
institutional investors as of September 30, 2004. Additional information about
the company can be found on the website: http://www.jhfunds.com/.

John Hancock Funds is a wholly owned subsidiary of John Hancock Financial
Services, Inc., a subsidiary of Manulife Financial Corporation. Founded in
1862, John Hancock Financial Services and its subsidiaries today offer a broad
range of financial products and services, including whole, term, variable, and
universal life insurance, as well as college savings products, mutual funds,
fixed and variable annuities, long-term care insurance and various forms of
business insurance.

Manulife Financial is a leading Canadian-based financial services group serving
millions of customers in 19 countries and territories worldwide. Operating as
Manulife Financial in Canada and most of Asia, and primarily through John
Hancock in the United States, the Company offers clients a diverse range of
financial protection products and wealth management services through its
extensive network of employees, agents and distribution partners. Funds under
management by Manulife Financial and its subsidiaries were Cdn$346 billion
(US$274 billion) as at September 30, 2004.

Manulife Financial Corporation trades as 'MFC' on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and
under '0945' on the SEHK. Manulife Financial can be found on the Internet at
http://www.manulife.com/. 

DATASOURCE: John Hancock Financial Trends Fund



CONTACT: Kimberley Dietrich, [phone], or Investors: +1-800-843-

0090, both of John Hancock



Web site:  http://www.jhfunds.com/

http://www.manulife.com/ 

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