dividends

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.

BNP Paribas has launched the first ever range of trackers offering access to FTSE 100 dividend futures within its range of Exchange Traded Certificates, known as EasyTrackers.

UK income investors could be in for a dividend windfall as sterling continues to slide against the dollar, analysts have suggested.

The yield of the FTSE 100 will rise from 3.07% to 3.37% this year as FTSE 100 companies increase their dividends by an average of 11%, Banc De Binary has claimed.

UK equity income funds are poised to benefit from a decline in sterling as their portfolios reap the rewards of positions in dollar-denominated dividend payers and overseas earners.

Schroders' head of US fixed income Wesley Sparks has argued investors should brace for a high yield correction in the first quarter of next year, as yields could rise by as much as 100 basis points.

Credit Suisse has named 20 of the best stocks with the ability to return capital to shareholders through special dividends and buybacks, with UK names such as clothing retailer Next and Paddy Power included on the list.

Hopes that Aberdeen Asset Management could announce a "significant" dividend hike in its forthcoming annual results have sent the group to the top of the FTSE 100 leaderboard.

BP's shareholders have called for a cash payout to be made if the sale of its 50% stake in TNK-BP goes through, as talk it is poised to offload its holding imminently picks up.