WBELX Performance — William Blair Emerging Markets Leaders Fund, Class I
Data updated: 2026-08-14
WBELX returned +18.29% year to date and +33.92% over one year to Jun 2026. Annualised returns are +17.07% over 3 years and +2.10% over 5 years. The fund trailed its Emerging Markets Equity category average: $100 invested three years ago grew to $160, against $179 for the category, and to $134 over one year, against $141. Volatility over the past three years was 15.99% a year. In the 12 months to Jun 2026 the fund lost a net $85.3M, and assets reached $104.81M.
WBELX Growth of $100
What $100 invested in William Blair Emerging Markets Leaders Fund grew to, compounded from monthly returns reported on SEC Form N-PORT, against the Emerging Markets Equity category average over the same months.
| Period | WBELX | Category average |
|---|---|---|
| 1 year (Jul 2025 – Jun 2026) | $134 | $141 |
| 3 years (Jul 2023 – Jun 2026) | $160 | $179 |
| 5 years (Jul 2021 – Jun 2026) | $111 | $144 |
| Since data start (Jul 2019 – Jun 2026) | $161 | $195 |
WBELX Trailing Returns
Total returns to Jun 2026, from SEC N-PORT.
| Period | Total return |
|---|---|
| YTD | +18.29% |
| 1 year | +33.92% |
| 3 years (annualised) | +17.07% |
| 5 years (annualised) | +2.10% |
WBELX Annual Returns
Calendar-year total returns of William Blair Emerging Markets Leaders Fund, compounded from monthly SEC N-PORT returns. Partial years show the months covered.
| Year | Total return |
|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Jun) | +18.29% |
| 2025 | +26.42% |
| 2024 | +5.84% |
| 2023 | +6.12% |
| 2022 | −25.86% |
| 2021 | −7.47% |
| 2020 | +27.50% |
| 2019 (Jul–Dec) | +9.78% |
WBELX Monthly Returns
Monthly total returns as reported on SEC Form N-PORT.
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | +6.6% | +3.6% | −11.7% | +10.9% | +7.6% | +1.6% | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2025 | +1.3% | −1.8% | +0.8% | +1.3% | +5.2% | +4.5% | +0.2% | +2.8% | +7.4% | +4.6% | −3.9% | +1.7% |
| 2024 | −4.2% | +4.4% | +0.8% | −1.9% | +2.0% | +3.6% | −0.7% | +2.9% | +5.1% | −3.3% | −2.3% | −0.2% |
| 2023 | +7.9% | −6.2% | +2.7% | −2.5% | −0.7% | +4.1% | +2.2% | −5.3% | −3.8% | −4.4% | +9.9% | +3.6% |
| 2022 | −4.2% | −5.4% | +0.3% | −9.1% | −1.5% | −5.7% | −0.2% | +0.7% | −9.0% | −0.8% | +10.5% | −3.5% |
| 2021 | +3.5% | +0.7% | −3.9% | +1.2% | +2.1% | +0.3% | −7.8% | +3.5% | −4.3% | +1.1% | −6.1% | +2.7% |
| 2020 | −2.5% | −4.4% | −18.9% | +11.4% | +3.7% | +9.5% | +13.1% | +2.6% | −1.6% | +1.9% | +6.2% | +7.8% |
| 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — | −0.9% | −1.6% | +1.9% | +4.3% | +0.1% | +5.8% |
WBELX Risk
Risk measures from monthly returns over Jul 2023 – Jun 2026.
- 3-year volatility (annualised): 15.99%
- 3-year Sharpe ratio: 0.79 (vs 4.5% risk-free rate)
- Best month: +10.88% (Apr 2026)
- Worst month: −11.71% (Mar 2026)
WBELX Fund Flows
Monthly money in and out of William Blair Emerging Markets Leaders Fund, from SEC Form N-PORT.
- 12-month net flow: −$85.3M
- 12-month gross sales (incl. reinvestments): $28.5M
- Sales ÷ redemptions: 0.25×
| Month | Sales | Redemptions | Net flow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2026 | $5.3M | $6.0M | −$662K |
| May 2026 | $4.7M | $3.7M | $992K |
| Apr 2026 | $2.3M | $10.5M | −$8.3M |
| Mar 2026 | $676K | $807K | −$132K |
| Feb 2026 | $1.4M | $1.8M | −$321K |
| Jan 2026 | $2.2M | $1.8M | $430K |
| Dec 2025 | $2.2M | $778K | $1.5M |
| Nov 2025 | $1.0M | $4.1M | −$3.1M |
| Oct 2025 | $5.6M | $16.9M | −$11.4M |
| Sep 2025 | $163K | $60.8M | −$60.7M |
| Aug 2025 | $1.9M | $5.0M | −$3.1M |
| Jul 2025 | $934K | $1.5M | −$527K |
WBELX Assets Under Management
Net assets of William Blair Emerging Markets Leaders Fund by report date, from SEC N-PORT filings.
| Report date | Net assets |
|---|---|
| 2026-06-30 | $104.81M |
| 2026-03-31 | $93.46M |
| 2025-12-31 | $95.77M |
| 2025-09-30 | $107.49M |
| 2025-06-30 | $159.79M |
| 2025-03-31 | $162.15M |
| 2024-12-31 | $164.71M |
| 2024-09-30 | $193.20M |
| 2024-06-30 | $228.69M |
| 2024-03-31 | $253.47M |
| 2023-12-31 | $253.54M |
| 2023-09-30 | $242.85M |
For information only. Not investment advice: figures are as reported in SEC filings and may contain errors or be out of date. Past performance does not guarantee future results.