European Equity Income - July Commentary
Portfolio Manager, Europe Team
This is a marketing communication. Please refer to the prospectus, supplement and KID/KIID for the Funds before making any final investment decisions. The value of this investment can fall as well as rise as a result of market and currency fluctuations. You may not get back the amount you invested.
Past performance does not predict future returns.
Despite the MSCI Europe ex UK Index posting solid performance in Q2 of +13% (in USD), European markets lagged most other regions over the quarter. This can mostly be explained by two factors.
First, the index is comparatively light on the pure AI-infrastructure names that drove the MSCI US and MSCI Asia Pacific ex Japan rallies. Second, MSCI Asia Pacific ex Japan and MSCI Emerging Markets, as larger net energy importers, saw a greater relief effect from the oil price decline.
Europe's potential to unlock capital
These short-term factors belie the underlying story for Europe. One driver is the better deployment of capital. Roughly 30% of the EU's total €37 trillion pool of household savings (some €12 trillion) is being held in cash rather than productive investments. Mobilising just 5% of these shares or funded pensions would unlock an estimated €1.8 trillion, or c.11% of EU GDP.
Additionally, the EU's pool of long-term capital is just 184% of GDP, against 498% in the US and 259% in the UK. This is one opportunity Draghi's 2024 report on European competitiveness sought to capture.
Source: New Financial (2024), The future of Pension and Retail Investments in the EU.
Towards an EU Savings and Investments Union, Deutsche Boerse 2025
While macroeconomics is not what drives our stock selection, we welcome any tailwinds. We cover this and other medium-term drivers of European equities, including German pension reform and fiscal impulse, and accelerating bank and telecom consolidation.
For our portfolio, the philosophy remains the same. We look for high-quality, dividend-paying businesses that control their own destiny: pricing power, strong balance sheets, and high cash flow returns on the capital they employ, run by people who spend that capital wisely.
In this commentary, we review fund and market performance in Q2, including leaders and laggards in the portfolio.
The value of this investment can fall as well as rise as a result of market and currency fluctuations. You may not get back the amount you invested.
The information provided on this page is for informational purposes only. While we believe it to be reliable, it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Any opinions stated are honestly held at the time of publication, but are not guaranteed and should therefore not be relied upon. This content should not be relied upon as financial advice or a recommendation to invest in the Funds or to buy or sell individual securities, nor does it constitute an offer for sale. Full details on Ongoing Charges Figures (OCFs) for all share classes are available here.
The Guinness European Equity Income Funds are designed to provide investors with exposure to high-quality dividend-paying companies in the Europe ex UK region. The Funds aim to provide capital appreciation and a source of income that has the potential to grow over time. The Funds are actively managed and use the MSCI Europe ex UK Index as a comparator benchmark only.
For the avoidance of doubt, if you decide to invest, you will be buying units/shares in the Fund and will not be investing directly in the underlying assets of the Fund
Guinness European Equity Income Fund
Documentation
The documentation needed to make an investment, including the Prospectus, the Key Information Document (KID) / Key Investor Information Document (KIID) and the Application Form, is available from the website www.guinnessgi.com , or free of charge from:
- the Manager: Waystone Management Company (IE) Limited, 2nd Floor 35 Shelbourne Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin DO4 A4E0 or,
- the Promoter and Investment Manager: Guinness Asset Management Ltd, 18 Smith Square, London SW1P 3HZ.
Waystone IE is a company incorporated nder the laws of Ireland having its registered office at 35 Shelbourne Rd, Ballsbridge, Dublin, D04 A4E0 Ireland, which is authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland, has appointed Guinness Asset Management Ltd as Investment Manager to this fund, and as Manager has the right to terminate the arrangements made for the marketing of funds in accordance with the UCITS Directive.
Investor Rights
A summary of investor rights in English, including collective redress mechanisms, is available here: https://www.waystone.com/waystone-policies/
Residency
In countries where the Funds are not registered for sale or in any other circumstances where their distribution is not authorised or is unlawful, the Funds should not be distributed to resident Retail Clients. NOTE: THIS INVESTMENT IS NOT FOR SALE TO U.S. PERSONS.
Structure & Regulation
The Funds are sub-funds of Guinness Asset Management Funds PLC, an open-ended umbrella-type investment company, incorporated in Ireland and authorised and supervised by the Central Bank of Ireland, which operates under EU legislation. The Funds have been approved by the Financial Conduct Authority for sale in the UK. If you are in any doubt about the suitability of investing in these Funds, please consult your investment or other professional adviser.
WS Guinness European Equity Income Fund
Documentation
The documentation needed to make an investment, including the Prospectus, the Key Investor Information Document (KIID) and the Application Form, is available in English from https://www.waystone.com/our-funds/waystone-fund-services-uk-limited/ or free of charge from:-
Waystone Management (UK) Limited, PO Box 389, Darlington DL1 9UF.
E-Mail: wtas-investorservices@waystone.com
Waystone Management (UK) Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Residency
In countries where the Fund is not registered for sale or in any other circumstances where its distribution is not authorised or is unlawful, the Fund should not be distributed to resident Retail Clients.
Structure & regulation
The Fund is a sub-fund of WS Guinness Investment Funds, an investment company with variable capital incorporated with limited liability and registered by the Financial Conduct Authority.
This Fund is registered for distribution to the public in the UK but not in any other jurisdiction. In other countries or in circumstances where its distribution is not authorised or is unlawful, the Fund should not be distributed to resident Retail Clients.