Global dividend payments almost double over decade

Payments from listed companies hit $513.8bn in Q2

Global dividends broke a new Q2 record in 2019, despite the underlying rate of growth slowing to its lowest level for more than two years amid a global economic deceleration, according to Janus Henderson Investors' Global Dividend Index.

Dividend payments from listed companies reached $513.8bn in Q2 - 1.1% higher than the same period in 2018 in headline terms - with a growth rate of 4.6% on an underlying basis, the firm said. While the underlying rate of growth was at a two-year low, it was only slightly below the long-run average and in line with Janus Henderson's forecasts, the report added. Janus Henderson left its forecast for full-year 2019 dividends unchanged at $1.43trn. Ben Lofthouse, head of global equity income at Janus Henderson, said the slowdown was "not a cause for concern", particularly as "global di...