Short Briefings On Long Term Thinking - Baillie Gifford

What counts as a growth stock is ever-changing. Mark Urquhart shares lessons from 27 years of investing to explain how he decides what to buy and how long to hold as he continues his hunt for outsized returns.  Background: In 1996, our largest investments included oil and gas companies and high street banks. These days, our biggest holdings specialise in computer chips, ecommerce and biotech. We still pursue long-term growth – companies we believe will reach their potential given time. But we find it in different places. In this episode, partner Mark Urquhart explains how he tries to identify companies that can grow for a decade or longer, allowing their sales, profits and share prices to compound along the way. He discusses the changing nature of the businesses that qualify and what gives him the confidence to back maverick founders. Other topics he covers in conversation with managing editor Malcolm Borthwick include lessons from the pandemic and the growth companies that most excite him today. Resources:Th

Stuart Dunbar explains why a long-term investment approach suits the new types of growth companies that are emerging.Background:It’s been five years since Baillie Gifford launched its ‘actual investors’ campaign. It focuses on the firm’s long-term, active approach to growth.  In this episode, the effort’s mastermind Stuart Dunbar joins Malcolm Borthwick to take stock and explain why actual investing is more relevant than ever. As he explains, capital-intensive companies are seeking to transform healthcare, transport and entertainment, among other industries, and they need patient, supportive shareholders to fulfil their potential and deliver strong returns.  Resources:Actual investorsLet’s talk about actual investingBaillie Gifford’s investment beliefsThe Premonition by Michael LewisThe Economics of Fund Management by Ed MoissonThe Golfer’s Journal Timecodes:0:00   Introduction1:30   What is Actual investing?3:30   Finding great companies4:20   Investing with autonomy and conviction6:10   Growth investing8:00

To mark the pioneering Trust’s anniversary, James Dow delves into SAINTS’ origins and explains how he helped reinvigorate it for a new age.Background:The Scottish American Investment Company (SAINTS) made its debut in 1873, introducing the first trust to prevent shareholders from facing ruin if a business they backed failed. This groundbreaking approach instilled confidence, paving the way for the public to invest in a vital US railway among other enticing overseas opportunities.Nearly 20 years ago, Baillie Gifford took over the Trust’s management. Joint manager James Dow helped revitalise SAINTS by focusing on exceptional income-driven global companies. As he tells podcast host Malcolm Borthwick, their activities range from making AI-enhanced factory cameras to creating some of the world’s most sought-after cosmetics.Resources:The Scottish American Investment Trust CompanyOrder a copy of the SAINTS: 150 Years bookSAINTS Manager Insights video, April 2023The SAINTS approach webinar video, March 2023Shoemaker

<p>Keystone Positive Change’s Kate Fox on thinking about the world in 2050 to spot opportunities today.</p><p><b>Background:</b></p><p>Kate’s conversation with Malcolm Borthwick covers her work with the Deep Transitions Futures project, coordinated by the University of Sussex and Utrecht University and supported by Baillie Gifford.</p><p>The project aims to identify patterns and insights from past ‘deep transitions’, such as the Industrial Revolution, to inform and guide our approach to identifying solutions to present and future challenges. These include climate change, social inequality, and biodiversity loss. The initiative seeks to develop strategies for fostering radical innovation. It engages investors, policymakers and researchers, among other stakeholders, to promote a transformative investment philosophy and drive systemic change.</p><p><b>Resources:</b></p><p><a href=”https://www.bailliegifford.com/?insights

Meet the lesser-known niche players thriving in the shadow of the country’s big brands  Think of Japanese companies and chances are giants such as Sony, Hitachi and Mitsubishi come to mind. You probably don't think of Shima Seiki - a maker of automated knitting machines, Descente, which owns licences to use brands such as Le Coq Sportif and Umbro, or Shoei, a maker of handmade motorcycle helmets. But these kinds of companies are the beating heart of its economy. Japan’s three and a half million small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) employ about seven in 10 private sector workers. These firms are sometimes overlooked by investors in Japan, but not by Praveen Kumar, manager of Baillie Gifford Shin Nippon, who explains why they provide ample opportunities for growth investors.  Praveen Kumar is manager of the Baillie Gifford Shin Nippon and Baillie Gifford Japan Trust. You can read more about his and his colleagues’ thoughts about the positive outlook for Japan’s most inventive and disruptive companies at our

As many question the future of growth investing, the American Fund’s Dave Bujnowski explores the new engines powering progress.

Kirsty Gibson and Julia Angeles on how technology is changing the way we do business.

Rose Nguyen on the companies seeking to overcome the scourge of heart disease.

Why ‘what if…?’ is the most vital question an investor can ask. Kirsty Gibson of the Baillie Gifford US Growth Trust explains.

It’s a small country with a large number of businesses that can keep innovating and growing for decades. Stephen Paice explores what’s so great about Sweden.

Apps and online courses have upended the economics of education, making learning more accessible, fun and relevant. Positive Change’s Thaiha Nguyen explains.

For Peter Singlehurst, head of the Private Companies Team, the difference between investing in a private company and a public company is that private companies choose their shareholders. So, why choose Baillie Gifford?

‘Growth or value’ has framed many investment narratives. But Monks’ Malcolm MacColl explains the two aren’t at odds.

Over four decades Japan has seen 21 prime ministers come and go. Exporters such as Toyota and Toshiba have flourished but the country has also struggled with debt and deflation. Matthew Brett, manager of The Baillie Gifford Japan Trust, discusses what’s next.

Chaos is often associated with a failure of leadership. Gary Robinson, manager of Baillie Gifford US Growth Trust, argues that the best bosses don’t resist disorder but channel it to create ‘chaordic organisations’ in which innovation thrives.

Are your investments as good for the environment and society as you think they are? Stuart Dunbar, partner at Baillie Gifford, explains why too many people have been lulled into a false sense of security by metrics-based approaches to ESG that don’t support the transition to a more sustainable society.

Messenger RNA vaccines could provide a solution not just to Covid, but to cancer, and other diseases. Julia Angeles, co-manager of Baillie Gifford’s Health Innovation Fund, discusses how.

Karma Chameleon topped the charts, Mrs Thatcher won a landslide and Monks’ manager Charles Plowden joined Baillie Gifford. 1983 was a year to remember. Charles reflects on what’s changed and looks at the investment opportunity to come.

Are there limits to economic growth? Will we run out of ideas? Investment manager Lee Qian explains why he’s confident innovation will create a more prosperous, sustainable and inclusive world.

  With the high street either shut down or harder to access during the pandemic, consumer habits had to change. Moritz Sitte, joint manager of the Baillie Gifford European Growth Trust and the European Fund, explores what this means for the future of shopping.