Short Takes: Merrill, Waterhouse to Offer Scudder Funds

Scudder, Stevens & Clark has signed sales agreements with Merrill Lynch & Co. and Waterhouse Securities Inc., bringing the number of other firms offering its funds to seven.

The Boston-based mutual fund company announced last week that both Merrill and Waterhouse, a subsidiary of Toronto-Dominion Bank, plan to add the 37 Scudder no-load mutual funds on their menus.

Over the last nine months, Charles Schwab & Co., Smith Barney Inc., Jack White & Co., and NationsBank Corp. have also said they will make Scudder funds available to their customers.

"We've been identifying star partners we've wanted to partner with to increase outside distribution of our funds," said William M. Thomas, vice president and senior business manager of Scudder's financial intermediary services group.

"We don't have a magic number were shooting for, but we are looking for alliances that make sense for us and them," he added.

Mr. Thomas said the outside firms should have success selling Scudder's non-U.S. funds because demand for foreign investments is growing.

Scudder Emerging Markets Income, a bond fund, and Global and Global Discovery-both stock funds-have four-star ratings from Morningstar. Scudder International has a three-star rating.

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