NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Morningstar has awarded the Van Eck Global Hard Assets Fund (tickers: GHAAX | GHACX) a fifth star for overall performance, it was announced this week.

In addition to the five-star overall rating from Morningstar in the Specialty-Natural Resources Category, as of February 28, 2009, the Fund was also rated:

• 5 Stars over three years (out of 180 funds in the category)
• 5 Stars over five years (out of 142 funds in the category)
• 4 Stars over 10 years (out of 117 funds in the category)

Gaining a fifth star in an environment where financial and macro conditions continue to weaken is a testament to Van Eck’s investment acumen relative to its peers in the Specialty-Natural Resources category. “We have the flexibility to invest in hard assets sectors believed to offer the highest potential or retreat to cash in periods when commodity trends are unfavorable,” said Derek van Eck, the firm’s CIO and investment team leader of the Fund. “Given the unpredictability of the current markets, we’ve made it a priority to manage portfolio risk to the best of our abilities.”

The Fund offers exposure to energy, precious metals, base metals, timber, alternative energy and other hard assets through investments in equities and commodity-linked derivative instruments. It’s managed by a nine-person team of investment professionals – among the industry’s largest – including two trained geologists and senior sector analysts that are well-versed in their respective fields.

This breadth and depth of investment coverage is evidenced by the Fund’s favorable ranking with its peer group. According to Morningstar percentile rankings, the Fund is consistently one of the top-performers in the Specialty-Natural Resources Category. As of February 28, 2009, the Fund’s total return was ranked in the:

• Top 14 percent of its category for one-year performance (29 out of 226 funds)
• Top 1 percent for three-year performance (1 out of 180 funds)
• Top 1 percent for five-year performance (1 out of 142 funds)
• Top 28 percent for 10-year performance (35 out of 117 funds)

“Given current economic conditions, we are pleased that the Van Eck Global Hard Assets Fund has received its fifth star from Morningstar,” said Derek. “Our portfolio management team looks forward to continuing to provide mutual fund investors with a simple, straight-forward way to access the global hard assets marketplace.”

As of February 28, 2009, energy was the top sector in the Fund, accounting for 51.3 percent of the underlying investments, followed by precious metals at 19.6 percent and industrial metals at 8.6 percent. Our sector exposures are reviewed on an ongoing basis and are modified based on both macro conditions and perceived opportunity.

More information on the Van Eck family of investment products is available at www.vaneck.com.

The Specialty – Natural Resources category consists of mutual funds with a natural resources investment mandate.

Meet the Manager

Derek van Eck rejoined Van Eck in 1993 (previously at firm from 1988-1991). He serves as lead investment team member of Van Eck Global Hard Assets Fund, Van Eck Worldwide Insurance Trust’s Worldwide Hard Assets Fund and Van Eck’s long/short hard assets strategy products. He is also the firm’s CIO and is responsible for oversight of investment process and risk controls.

He received his MBA from J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and a BA in Economics from Williams College.

Historical Performance

		Average Annual Returns as of February 28, 2009 (%)
		1 Yr		3 Yr		5 Yr		10 Yr
Class A: NAV		-49.34		-4.29		10.30		12.61
Class A: 5.75% sales charge		-52.26		-6.16		9.00		11.34
Category average		-54.11		-12.49		2.76		10.09

		Average Annual Returns as of December 31, 2008 (%)
		1 Yr		3 Yr		5 Yr		10 Yr
Class A: NAV		-44.68		-1.04		12.11		12.08
Class A: 5.75% sales charge		-47.86		-2.97		10.79		11.42
Category average		-48.79		-8.42		6.12		10.23

Expenses: Class A: Gross 1.43%; Net 1.43% – Class C: Gross 2.19%; Net 2.19%; – Class I: Gross 1.17%; Net 1.00%. Expenses are capped contractually through 04/30/09 at 1.60% for Class A, 2.50% for Class C, and 1.00% for Class I.

The tables present past performance which is no guarantee of future results and which may be lower or higher than current performance. Returns reflect temporary contractual fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements. Had the Fund incurred all expenses and fees, investment returns would have been reduced. Investment returns and Fund share values will fluctuate so that investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Fund returns assume that dividends and capital gains distributions have been reinvested in the Fund at NAV. Performance information current to the most recent month end is available by calling 1.800.826.2333 or by visiting vaneck.com.

About Van Eck Global

Founded in 1955, Van Eck Associates Corporation was among the first U.S. money managers helping investors achieve greater diversification through global investing. Today, the firm continues that 50+ year tradition by offering global investment choices in hard assets, emerging markets, precious metals including gold, and other specialized asset classes.

Van Eck’s mutual funds are sold nationwide through retail brokers, financial planners and investment advisors. Designed for investors seeking innovative choices for portfolio diversification, they are often categorized in asset classes having returns with low correlations to those of more traditional U.S. equity and fixed income investments.

Van Eck also offers exchange-traded funds, separate accounts and alternative investments. In addition, it offers Insurance Trust Funds, a series of investment choices within the variable annuity contracts and variable life policies of widely known and highly regarded insurers.

About the Morningstar Rating System

(c) 2008 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar and/or its content providers; (2) may not be copied or distributed; and (3) is not warranted to be accurate, complete or timely. Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or losses arising from any use of this information.

For each fund with at least a three-year history, Morningstar calculates a Morningstar Rating[TM] metric each month by subtracting the return on a 90-day U.S. Treasury Bill from the fund's load-adjusted return for the same period, and then adjusting this excess return for risk. The top 10% of funds in each category receive 5 stars, the next 22.5% receive 4 stars, the next 35% receive 3 stars, the next 22.5% receive 2 stars and the bottom 10% receive 1 star. The Overall Morningstar Rating for a fund is derived from a weighted average of the performance figures associated with its three-, five- and ten-year (if applicable) Morningstar Rating metrics.

You can lose money by investing in the Fund. Any investment in the Fund should be part of an overall investment program, not a complete program. The Fund is subject to risks associated with concentrating its investments in hard assets, including real estate, precious metals and natural resources, and can be significantly affected by events relating to these industries, including international political and economic developments, inflation, and other factors. The Fund’s portfolio securities may experience substantial price fluctuations as a result of these factors, and may move independently of the trends of industrialized companies. The Fund’s investments in foreign securities involve risks related to adverse political and economic developments unique to a country or a region, currency fluctuations or controls, and the possibility of arbitrary action by foreign governments, including the takeover of property without adequate compensation or imposition of prohibitive taxation. The Fund is subject to risks associated with investments in debt securities, derivatives, commodity-linked instruments, illiquid securities, asset-backed securities and CMOs. The Fund is also subject to inflation risk, short-sales risk, market risk, non-diversification risk, leverage risk, credit risk and counterparty risk. Please see the prospectus for information on these and other risk considerations.

Please call 1.800.826.2333 or visit vaneck.com for a free prospectus. An investor should consider the investment objective, risks, and charges and expenses of the investment company carefully before investing. The prospectus contains this and other information about the investment company. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing.

Van Eck Securities Corporation, Distributor

335 Madison Avenue | New York, NY 10017

MacMillan Communications
Mike MacMillan/Lindsey Wetmiller
212-473-4442
lindsey@macmillancom.com