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- S&P Capital IQ analysts pointed out that the 2.1% total return in the S&P 500 during 2011 was helped by dividends. Without that yield, the index would have been flat.
- S&P analysts also noted that dividend paying stocks outperformed stocks without dividends.
- Dividend payers rose 1.4% on average in 2011, compared to the 7.6% average loss for S&P 500 components that didn’t pay dividends.
- Around 75% of S&P 500 companies are expected to raise dividends in 2012, USA Today reports.
SPDR S&P Dividend ETF
For past stories in this series, visit our ETF Spotlight category.
Max Chen contributed to this article.