Actual investors think in decades. Not quarters.

Transformational growth companies such as Amazon and Tencent are rare. Finding them requires patience and resolve. Yet many investors think they can find them based on short-term trading patterns and believe decisions can be made by computer algorithms.

What really matters is change in the real world. Investing can’t be reduced to neat formulas such as the Capital Asset Pricing Model, which so widely underpins the investment industry. Investing is not about confusing everyone about alpha, beta, factor exposures and high-frequency trading. It is the deliberate, imaginative act of directing your capital to new ideas and new business models that provide people with better, cheaper or completely new ways of meeting their needs and wants.

That’s what we focus on, and that’s why we build strong relationships with the companies actually doing it.

Some investors might be able to predict fleeting market fluctuations, but it’s not a skill Baillie Gifford offers.

We have no idea what stock markets will do in the next three, six or 12 months or how a company’s share price will perform day-to-day.

In a market dominated by short-term speculators, investors set prices trying to anticipate what their competitors will do next.

In the short run, a listed company’s value has only a very loose connection to its fundamental progress. In the long run, it’s all that matters.

We believe investing is more art than science. The creative part lies in anticipating change at the company, industry, society and individual level.

Actual investors know some of the companies we back will not succeed. Balance comes from the asymmetric nature of returns: gains can be manyfold, but losses are limited to what you invest.

We think in terms of decades because it’s only over longer periods that a clear picture emerges.

Opportunities emerge from technological progress or new business models. By building relationships with the management of the most forward-thinking companies, we can understand what is becoming possible.

Companies that grasp opportunities and can build their profits, particularly those with economies of scale and price-setting power, have the best chance of being excellent long-term investments. Our approach also helps us to understand which companies may be most threatened by disruption.

Actual investors should be looking for businesses capable of sustaining progress over decades.

We consider the size of the opportunity, adaptability, quality, competitive advantage and commitment of management – founder-managers often score highly.

Understanding the intrinsic qualities of a business and the world in which it competes makes it easier to make predictions over 10 years. That’s far more important than what happens over a few quarters.

By clicking on South Korea, you have confirmed that you are based in South Korea and that you meet the following requirements.

The information in this area of the website is intended for qualified professional investors and consultants based in South Korea. It is not intended for use by any other persons including members of the general public or investors from other jurisdictions.

Please remember that all investment strategies have the potential for profit and loss and your or your clients’ capital may be at risk.

Baillie Gifford Overseas Limited is wholly owned by Baillie Gifford & Co. Baillie Gifford Overseas Limited provides investment management and advisory services to non-UK clients. Both are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Baillie Gifford Overseas Limited is licensed with the Financial Services Commission in South Korea as a cross border Discretionary Investment Manager and Non-Discretionary Investment Adviser.

Baillie Gifford Asia (Hong Kong) Limited 柏基亞洲(香港)有限公司 is wholly owned by Baillie Gifford Overseas Limited and holds a Type 1 licence from the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong to market and distribute Baillie Gifford’s range of collective investment schemes to professional investors in Hong Kong.
Baillie Gifford Asia (Hong Kong) Limited 柏基亞洲(香港)有限公司 can be contacted at Suites 2713-2715, Two International Finance Centre, 8 Finance Street, Central, Hong Kong, Telephone +852 3756 5700.

The information provided does not constitute an offer of or solicitation for purchase or sale of securities or provision of any investment services. Any general enquiries regarding Baillie Gifford should be directed to the relevant individual as noted in the Contact Us section.

The information contained in this website has been compiled with considerable care to ensure its accuracy at the date of publication. However, no representation or warranty, express or implied, is made to its accuracy or completeness. Nothing in this information or elsewhere in this website shall exclude, limit or restrict our duties and liabilities to you under the United Kingdom's Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 or any conduct of business rules which we are bound to comply with.

This website is informative only and the information provided should not be considered as investment advice or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a particular investment. Read our Legal and regulatory information for further details.

Any stock examples, or images, used on this website are not intended to represent recommendations to buy or sell, neither is it implied that they will prove profitable in the future. It is not known whether they will feature in any future portfolio produced by us.