1. Overview

    The European Fund aims to outperform (after deduction of costs) the MSCI Europe ex UK Index, as stated in Sterling, by at least 1.5% per annum over rolling five-year periods. There is no guarantee that this objective will be achieved over any time period and actual investment returns may differ from this objective, particularly over shorter time periods.

    The manager believes this is an appropriate benchmark given the investment policy of the Fund and the approach taken by the manager when investing. In addition, the manager believes an appropriate performance comparison for this Fund is the Investment Association Europe excluding UK Sector.

    We invest in companies not countries. The view is different from the bottom up than it is from the top down.

    Performance & Portfolio

    Periodic Performance

    All figures to 31/08/2024

    6 Months

    1 Year

    3 Years

    5 Years

    Class B-Acc 0.3%12.0%-12.4%4.6%
    Index* 5.7%15.8%6.1%8.8%
    Target Benchmark** 6.5%17.6%7.7%10.4%
    Sector Average*** 3.9%13.6%3.6%7.8%
    Sector Ranking 120/139103/139135/135114/127

    Figures for 3 and 5 years are shown as the annualised rate of return. This is the average yearly return over the specified period.


    Annual Discrete Performance to 30 June each year

    Annual percentage return (Updated Quarterly)

    30/06/2019
    30/06/2020

    30/06/2020
    30/06/2021

    30/06/2021
    30/06/2022

    30/06/2022
    30/06/2023

    30/06/2023
    30/06/2024

    Class B-Acc 25.4%35.7%-39.2%12.1%8.0%
    Index* 0.6%22.6%-9.8%20.0%13.0%
    Target Benchmark** 2.1%24.5%-8.4%21.8%14.7%
    Sector Average*** 0.9%23.7%-12.6%18.4%11.7%

    Please bear in mind that past performance is not a guide to future performance.
    The value of your investment may go down as well as up, and you may not get back the amount you invested.

    Source: Revolution, FE, MSCI. Total return net of charges, in sterling.
    Share class returns calculated using 10am prices, while the Index is calculated close-to-close.
    *MSCI Europe ex UK Index.
    **MSCI Europe ex UK Index (in sterling) plus at least 1.5% per annum over rolling five-year periods.
    ***IA Europe Excluding UK Sector.

    Top Ten Holdings - 31/08/2024

    Fund %
    1 Topicus.com 5.5%
    2 Prosus 4.9%
    3 Schibsted 4.6%
    4 ASML 4.5%
    5 DSV 4.2%
    6 Ryanair 4.2%
    7 Hypoport 3.8%
    8 Nexans 3.8%
    9 Allegro.eu 3.5%
    10 Atlas Copco 3.4%
    Total 42.3%

    Meet the Managers

    Stephen Paice

    Stephen is head of the European Equity Team. He joined Baillie Gifford in 2005, and became a partner of the firm in 2024. Stephen has been involved in running the European portion of the Global Core Strategy and Managed Strategy since 2019, as well as becoming a member of the International All Cap Portfolio Construction Group in 2022. Prior to joining the team he spent time in the US, UK Smaller Companies and Japanese equities teams. Stephen graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Financial Mathematics in 2005.

    Chris Davies

    Chris joined Baillie Gifford in 2012 and is an Investment Manager in the Europe Team. He graduated BA (Hons) in Music from the University of Oxford in 2009 and went on to gain an MMus in Music Performance from the Royal Welsh School of Music and Drama in 2010 and an MSc in Music, Mind and Brain from Goldsmiths College in 2011.

    Christopher Howarth

    Christopher is an investment manager in the European Team and a named investment manager on the European Fund. He was previously an analyst in the US Equities Team. Before coming to Baillie Gifford in 2019, Christopher was a researcher for a think tank in Westminster. He studied Classics at Trinity College, Cambridge and was the 2015/16 Choate Fellow at Harvard University.

    How to Invest

    You can invest in our funds via a number of fund platforms, please see the links opposite. Information on the range of funds available through platforms can be found in our Platform Matrix.

    Please note that we do not have the facility for you to invest directly with us in our Investment Trusts and we do not offer ISAs, SIPPS or Share Plans.

    Please also note that we do not have an online service for individual investors.

    Further information on our funds can be found in the relevant Key Investor Information and Prospectus Documents, which are available in English and will be sent to you free of charge on request.

    Baillie Gifford does not sponsor, maintain or have any control over the content of any other websites. Therefore, we are not responsible for the adequacy or accuracy of any of the information you may view, nor do we undertake to ensure successful transmission to any linked website.

    How to Invest

    Getting Financial Advice

    At Baillie Gifford we don’t provide financial advice, but we do try our best to provide you with all the information we think you might need to make investment decisions. Of course, we realise there are occasions when you may want the advice of an expert.

    Using professional financial advice

    An authorised intermediary can give you advice and help on how best to manage your financial affairs based on your circumstances and investment aspirations. They can also help keep track of all your different investment interests, saving you a lot of time and bookkeeping.

    Finding a financial adviser near you

    If you want to use an authorised intermediary, MyLocalAdviser is a website that allows you to search for authorised intermediaries in your area. You can visit their site on www.mylocaladviser.co.uk

    Documents

    You can access any literature about the Fund here, either by downloading or requesting a copy by post (where available).

    To download any document you will need Adobe Reader. Please note that we can now provide you with Braille and audio transcriptions of our literature on request. It may take up to 10 days for the transcription to be completed dependent on the size of the document.

    Risks

    General Investment Risk

    Investment markets can go down as well as up and market conditions can change rapidly. The value of an investment in the Fund, and any income from it, can fall as well as rise and investors may not get back the amount invested.

    Custody

    Custody of assets involves a risk of loss if a custodian becomes insolvent or breaches duties of care.

    Concentration

    The Fund’s concentrated portfolio relative to similar funds may result in large movements in the share price in the short term.

    Foreign Currency

    The Fund has exposure to foreign currencies and changes in the rates of exchange will cause the value of any investment, and income from it, to fall as well as rise and you may not get back the amount invested.

    Volatility

    The Fund’s share price can be volatile due to movements in the prices of the underlying holdings and the basis on which the Fund is priced.

    Dilution

    A dilution adjustment may apply when you buy or sell shares in the Fund. This is applied to the share price and may reduce the return on your investment.

    Fees from Revenue

    Where possible, charges are taken from the Fund's revenue. Where there is insufficient revenue, the remainder will be taken from capital. This will reduce the capital value of your investment.

    Tax Rates

    Tax rates and the tax treatment of OEICs can change at any time.