DTH’s robust yield is not only the byproduct of excluding Japan, but more importantly, a combined 40% weight to the U.K. and Australia. British companies accounted for about 11% of global dividends paid last year, second only to the U.S.
Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS-A), HSBC (NYSE: HBC) and Vodafone (NasdaqGS: VOD) are among the top-10 dividend payers in the world in dollar terms. All three are top-10 holdings in DTH.
Australian companies paid $40.3 billion in dividends last year, nearly double the amount paid in 2012. That was good for the largest dividend increase among the world’s 10 largest equity markets in the developed world. Foreign investors already know about the allure of Australian dividends. About $9 billion of the country’s payouts through the third quarter of 2013 went to foreign investors, Bloomberg reported, citing the Australian Bureau of Statistics. [Aussie Dividends on the Rise]
Likewise, investors have warmed to DTH. A year ago, the ETF had just over $265 million in assets under management. That number is now up to almost $319 million.
WisdomTree DEFA Equity Income Fund
