American Funds EuroPacific Growth Fund: A Longstanding Gateway to Global Growth

In the world of long-term investing, a handful of funds stand out as cornerstones of portfolios across generations. One such fund is the American Funds EuroPacific Growth Fund, an investment vehicle that has become synonymous with disciplined global equity investing. Tracing its roots back to the early 1980s, it has carved out a reputation for consistency, breadth, and the ability to adapt to the ever-changing tides of international markets.

A Fund Born from Global Vision

The EuroPacific Growth Fund was launched in April 1984, during a period when U.S. investors were only beginning to seriously consider international diversification. Its sponsor, Capital Group, was already one of the most respected names in asset management. Founded in 1931, Capital Group had established itself as a pioneer in long-term equity investing, guided by a multi-manager system designed to reduce individual bias and enhance decision-making.

The idea behind the EuroPacific Growth Fund was straightforward yet bold: give American investors access to opportunities outside their borders, primarily in Europe and the Pacific Basin. This vision has since expanded to cover a broad swath of developed and emerging markets globally, making the fund one of the largest and most enduring of its kind.

Track Record and Heritage

Now more than 40 years old, the EuroPacific Growth Fund has grown into one of the most widely held international equity funds in the United States. Over the decades, it has built a track record of navigating financial crises, geopolitical upheavals, and rapid shifts in global trade.

The fund’s scale is immense—it has consistently ranked among the largest actively managed international funds, with assets under management measured in the hundreds of billions at its peak. Such longevity and resilience are themselves a testament to both investor confidence and the strength of the management framework.

Structure and Investment Philosophy

The fund is structured as an open-ended mutual fund available primarily in the U.S., though its holdings and philosophy resonate far beyond. Its investment objective is growth of capital, with dividends and income reinvested to enhance total return.

The EuroPacific Growth Fund is managed using Capital Group’s hallmark “multiple portfolio manager system.”Instead of relying on a single star manager, the fund is divided into independently run sleeves, each overseen by experienced portfolio managers with different styles and perspectives. This structure mitigates the risk of concentrated decision-making and often leads to smoother performance patterns.

The fund maintains a clear active management approach with a strong emphasis on bottom-up, fundamental stock selection. Portfolio managers and analysts travel globally, engaging directly with company management teams to assess opportunities. The strategy tends to lean toward growth companies, but without abandoning valuation discipline.

Performance and Benchmarking

Over its long history, the EuroPacific Growth Fund has produced returns broadly in line with or above its benchmarks, typically measured against the MSCI All Country World Index ex USA. While performance has varied—particularly during periods when U.S. equities significantly outperformed international markets—the fund has generally delivered strong relative results over full market cycles.

For many institutional investors and advisers, its value lies not only in returns but in the diversification it provides. Adding the fund to a U.S.-centric portfolio often reduces volatility and correlation, offering true international exposure.

Who Uses It and Why

The fund’s investor base is broad. In the U.S., it is widely held through 401(k) retirement plans, institutional mandates, and wealth management portfolios. For individual investors, it often acts as a core international holding, providing a one-stop vehicle for exposure to global growth outside the U.S.

Institutional investors, meanwhile, value its research-driven process, scale, and proven governance. The fund is often used as a complement to domestic equity allocations or as part of balanced and multi-asset strategies.

Costs and Fees

Like many actively managed mutual funds, the EuroPacific Growth Fund charges an expense ratio that varies by share class. Retail share classes are higher (historically in the 0.80%–1.00% range), while institutional classes offer reduced costs. Though not the cheapest option compared to passive international ETFs, many investors accept the cost in exchange for active research, long-term track record, and global reach.

Accessibility on the Verī Platform

For advisers and institutions working with the Verī Platform, the EuroPacific Growth Fund is an example of how global mutual funds can be integrated into a cross-border investment strategy. While the fund is U.S.-domiciled, its holdings span the globe, making it accessible in terms of exposure if not always direct product availability outside the U.S.

Verī’s infrastructure allows financial institutions in Africa and beyond to compare, evaluate, and, where appropriate, gain exposure to similar international equity funds—ensuring local investors are not excluded from opportunities to diversify globally.

Integration with the Verī Managed Portfolio Service (MPS)

Within Verī’s Managed Portfolio Service (MPS), funds like EuroPacific Growth could serve as the core international growth component of a diversified model portfolio. In a balanced strategy, it would sit alongside U.S. equities, local African market exposure, and fixed income holdings. In higher-risk, growth-oriented portfolios, it could take on a larger allocation, reflecting its focus on long-term capital appreciation in global markets.

Its role in such a structure is clear: providing institutional-grade international diversification backed by decades of research and proven management.

Comparative Advantages

What sets the EuroPacific Growth Fund apart is its scale, heritage, and depth of research. Few funds have the global analyst network that Capital Group commands. The multi-manager structure provides resilience, while the active approach means the fund can pivot toward new opportunities—from emerging markets in Asia to established leaders in Europe.

For advisers, it offers peace of mind: this is not an untested boutique strategy, but rather a fund with decades of institutional use and oversight.

How Verī Platform Helps Clarify

At Verī, our mission is simple: to provide access to the entire universe of investments — from income to accumulation strategies, passive to active approaches, low-risk to high-risk instruments, across all asset types, currencies, and regions.

When we highlight funds or securities such as this one, it is not an endorsement, recommendation, or promotion of that specific investment. Rather, it is a demonstration of the wide spectrum of options available through the Verī Platform.

Our role is to enable access and transparency — giving investors and institutions the ability to see, compare, and evaluate a universe of choices, so they can make their own informed decisions in line with their objectives and responsibilities.

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