dividends

Royal Dutch Shell has seen a $2bn (£1.25bn) drop in third-quarter profits as costs across the business have soared.

Andreas Zoellinger, co-manager of the BlackRock Continental European Income fund, is backing mid-caps for dividends as valuations in some larger companies become overstretched.

UK income managers may be set for a huge boost if Vodafone agrees to sell its 45% stake in Verizon Wireless, but any deal could create longer-term problems for the UK dividend market.

A number of UK equity income managers have begun building positions in Lloyds Banking Group as the lender prepares to return to the UK dividend register.

M&G Investments' top performing Global Dividend manager Stuart Rhodes has initiated a number of new holdings over the past couple of months as he seeks a new wave of income payers.

Liontrust Asset Management is to pay its first dividend since December 2009 after reporting a leap in full-year profits and a doubling of assets under management in the year to 31 March.

Nigel Bolton, head of the BlackRock European equity team, has picked his winners from among Europe's unloved sectors as equity valuations fall to '100-year lows'.

Vodafone has reported a record fall in organic service revenue in the first three months of 2013 but has hiked its full-year dividend by 7%.

Martin Gilbert, the chief executive of Aberdeen Asset Management, has announced he is to resign from his role as chairman of beleaguered transport business FirstGroup, on the day the group also announced it is undertaking a rights issue.

BP has reported an uptick in profits in the first quarter, although profits fell 9% compared to Q1 2012 as the group continues to sell off assets to pay for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.