To understand where this fund invests, simply take a look around you. Everything you eat, drink, wear, or play with is a consumer product. The fund’s managers target companies around the world — in industries such as retail, restaurants, automotive, and beverages — that can profit from consumer spending.
Portfolio Manager
Fund weightings vs. MSCI World Consumer Discretionary & Consumer Staples Index (ND) (%) as of 12/31/11
| Putnam | MSCI | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Overweight | Bed Bath & Beyond | 3.10 | 0.30 |
| Japan Tobacco | 3.08 | 0.44 | |
| Target | 3.12 | 0.68 | |
| Underweight | McDonald's | 0.00 | 2.15 |
| Pepsico | 0.00 | 2.18 | |
| Wal-Mart | 0.00 | 2.35 | |
Weightings reflect actual holdings, which will vary over time.
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| 1879 | 1962 | 1973 | 1980 | 2007 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F.W. Woolworth opens its first five-and-dime store | Sam Walton opens the first Wal-Mart store; Wal-Mart will grow to become the world's largest retailer | In the United States, a 16-month recession begins, marked by sharply rising inflation, oil prices, and unemployment | Japan becomes the world's leading auto maker, outproducing the United States, which had been the leader since 1905 | The world's 10 largest retailers include six U.S. companies and four European companies. Combined sales are $978.5 billion | In February, Consumer Confidence Index falls to lowest level since it was created in 1967 |