PALO ALTO, CA. – July 1, 2008 – Merk Investments LLC announced today that William Poole, the former President of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, has accepted a position as the mutual fund company's senior economic advisor.

“Beyond his role as a voice of reason on the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) in recent years, Mr. Poole is a distinguished scholar and promoter of macroeconomic understanding,” says Axel Merk, president and chief investment officer at Merk. “We are honored to have our research be enriched by his insights and experience.”

“I am pleased to join Merk Investments in its efforts to interpret and forecast monetary policy. My engagement at Merk Investments will allow me to stay in close touch with the markets at a time when monetary policy may be more relevant than ever,” concludes Mr. Poole.

William Poole is Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute and in the fall will join the faculty of the University of Delaware as Distinguished Scholar in Residence. Poole retired as President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis in March 2008. In that position, which he held from March 1998, he served on the Federal Reserve's main monetary policy body, the Federal Open Market Committee. He directed the Bank's main office in St. Louis and its three branches in Memphis, Little Rock and Louisville. While at the St. Louis Fed, Poole presented over 150 speeches and was a prominent voice advocating monetary policy consistent with low inflation.

About Merk Investments

Merk Investments (http://www.merkfund.com/about-us/press/www.merkfund.com) is a registered investment adviser and the manager of the Merk Asian Currency Fund (MEAFX) and the Merk Hard Currency Fund (MERKX). Through its mutual funds, Merk Investments seeks to provide retail investors and investment advisors with options to diversify their holdings outside of the U.S. dollar and dollar denominated securities.

For more information on the Merk Mutual Funds, please visit www.merkfund.com.