- ISIN
- US9692518593
- CUSIP
- 969251859
- Issuer
- William Blair
- Inception Date
- Oct 23, 2011
- Category
- Emerging Markets Equities
- Min. Investment
- $500,000
- Distribution Policy
- Distributing
- Asset Class
- Equity
- Asset Class Size
- Mid-Cap
- Asset Class Style
- Growth
Share Price Chart
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Performance
BESIX Performance Chart
William Blair Emerging Markets Small Cap Growth Fund (BESIX) is up 8.7% since the beginning of the year. BESIX is currently trading at $24 per share. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of BESIX shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,234.
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Returns By Period
William Blair Emerging Markets Small Cap Growth Fund (BESIX) has returned 8.74% so far this year and 21.86% over the past 12 months. Over the last ten years, BESIX has returned 7.78% per year, falling short of the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 13.29% annually.
William Blair Emerging Markets Small Cap Growth Fund
- 1D
- 0.95%
- 1M
- -10.40%
- 6M
- 1.75%
- YTD
- 8.74%
- 1Y
- 21.86%
- 3Y*
- 12.86%
- 5Y*
- 4.29%
- 10Y*
- 7.78%
- ALL TIME*
- 9.26%
Benchmark (S&P 500 Index)
- 1D
- 1.48%
- 1M
- 1.57%
- 6M
- 8.95%
- YTD
- 11.03%
- 1Y
- 21.84%
- 3Y*
- 19.28%
- 5Y*
- 11.54%
- 10Y*
- 13.29%
- ALL TIME*
- 8.11%
BESIX Monthly Returns History
Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Oct 25, 2011, BESIX's average daily return is +0.04%, while the average monthly return is +0.85%. At this rate, an investment would double in approximately 6.8 years.
Historically, 63% of months were positive and 37% were negative. The best month was Apr 2026 with a return of +15.4%, while the worst month was Mar 2020 at -18.9%. The longest winning streak lasted 12 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 7 months.
On a daily basis, BESIX closed higher 54% of trading days. The best single day was Mar 24, 2020 with a return of +6.2%, while the worst single day was Mar 16, 2020 at -11.8%.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 8.30% | 7.37% | -9.90% | 15.41% | 1.59% | -1.31% | -10.30% | 8.74% | |||||
| 2025 | -7.12% | -6.07% | 1.38% | 4.03% | 4.92% | 8.09% | -1.24% | 5.56% | 2.55% | 3.03% | -2.17% | 1.33% | 13.93% |
| 2024 | -1.00% | 3.54% | 0.68% | 0.49% | 2.51% | 3.77% | -3.91% | 1.80% | 0.93% | -1.01% | -0.42% | 0.93% | 8.37% |
| 2023 | 4.70% | -1.87% | 2.44% | -0.93% | 2.46% | 4.92% | 3.11% | -1.74% | -2.58% | -5.19% | 11.24% | 4.77% | 22.25% |
| 2022 | -6.52% | -4.54% | 0.66% | -7.81% | -2.94% | -9.15% | 2.65% | 2.02% | -5.06% | 2.66% | 2.54% | -5.72% | -27.95% |
| 2021 | 2.41% | 1.87% | -1.75% | 3.48% | 3.28% | 3.79% | -2.63% | 4.52% | -1.39% | 1.06% | -2.01% | 2.24% | 15.52% |
Benchmark Metrics
William Blair Emerging Markets Small Cap Growth Fund has an annualized alpha of 2.71%, beta of 0.55, and R2 of 0.35 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since October 25, 2011.
- This fund participated in 81.95% of S&P 500 Index downside but only 72.51% of its upside - more exposed to losses than it benefited from rallies.
- Beta of 0.55 may look defensive, but with R2 of 0.35 this fund is largely uncorrelated with S&P 500 Index - low beta reflects independence, not downside protection. See the Volatility section for a true picture of this fund's risk.
- R2 of 0.35 means the benchmark explains less than half of this fund's behavior - treat beta with caution or consider switching to a more representative benchmark.
- Alpha
- 2.71%
- Beta
- 0.55
- R²
- 0.35
- Upside Capture
- 72.51%
- Downside Capture
- 81.95%
Expense Ratio
BESIX has a high expense ratio of 1.30%, indicating above-average management fees.
Return for Risk
Risk / Return Rank
BESIX ranks 28 for risk / return — above 28% of mutual funds peers on PortfoliosLab. Its historical combined result is below the peer median.
Risk / Return Metrics
The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for William Blair Emerging Markets Small Cap Growth Fund (BESIX) and compare them to S&P 500 Index.
Values are calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. Risk-adjusted metrics are more stable over longer periods — use the period switch above to explore them.
| BESIX | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility | -0.71 | ||
| Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk | -0.92 | ||
| Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability | 1.19 | 1.31 | -0.12 |
| Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown | 1.41 | 2.41 | -1.00 |
| Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown | 4.47 | 10.22 | -5.76 |
Dividends
Dividend History
William Blair Emerging Markets Small Cap Growth Fund provided a 8.77% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $2.14 per share.
| Period | TTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend | $2.14 | $2.14 | $0.00 | $0.05 | $0.79 | $2.03 | $0.01 | $0.03 | $0.33 | $0.59 | $0.37 | $0.62 |
Dividend yield | 8.77% | 9.53% | 0.00% | 0.26% | 4.84% | 8.51% | 0.04% | 0.16% | 2.32% | 3.17% | 2.67% | 4.17% |
Monthly Dividends
The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for William Blair Emerging Markets Small Cap Growth Fund. The dividends shown in the table have been adjusted to account for any splits that may have occurred.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | |||||
| 2025 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $2.14 | $2.14 |
| 2024 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| 2023 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.05 | $0.05 |
| 2022 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.79 | $0.79 |
| 2021 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $2.03 | $2.03 |
Drawdowns
Drawdowns Chart
The Drawdowns chart displays portfolio losses from any high point along the way. Drawdowns are calculated considering price movements and all distributions paid, if any.
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Worst Drawdowns
The table below displays the maximum drawdowns of the William Blair Emerging Markets Small Cap Growth Fund. A maximum drawdown is a measure of risk, indicating the largest reduction in portfolio value due to a series of losing trades.
The maximum drawdown for the William Blair Emerging Markets Small Cap Growth Fund was 38.05%, occurring on Mar 23, 2020. Recovery took 94 trading sessions.
The current William Blair Emerging Markets Small Cap Growth Fund drawdown is 13.15%.
Drawdown | Fall | Recovery | Underwater | Related event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
-38.05%Mar 2020 | 2y 1mo | 4mo 15d | 2y 6moJan 2018 - Aug 2020 | COVID crash2020 |
-31.41%Jul 2022 | 8mo 6d | 3y 1mo | 3y 9moNov 2021 - Aug 2025 | Bear market2022 |
-22.96%Feb 2016 | 8mo 28d | 1y 5mo | 2y 1moMay 2015 - Jul 2017 | — |
-18.93%Aug 2013 | 3mo 1d | 6mo 9d | 9mo 10dMay 2013 - Mar 2014 | — |
-14.50%Jul 2026 | 2mo 22d | — | 2mo 28dMay 2026 - now | — |
Drawdown Indicators
| BESIX | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Max DrawdownLargest peak-to-trough decline | -38.05% | -56.78% | +18.73% |
Max Drawdown (1Y)Largest decline over 1 year | -14.50% | -9.10% | -5.40% |
Max Drawdown (3Y)Largest decline over 3 years | -21.34% | -18.90% | -2.44% |
Max Drawdown (5Y)Largest decline over 5 years | -31.41% | -25.43% | -5.98% |
Max Drawdown (10Y)Largest decline over 10 years | -38.05% | -33.92% | -4.13% |
Current DrawdownCurrent decline from peak | -13.15% | -0.12% | -13.03% |
Average DrawdownAverage peak-to-trough decline | -10.15% | -10.70% | +0.55% |
Ulcer IndexDepth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks | 4.55% | 2.14% | +2.41% |
Volatility
Volatility Chart
The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.
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