dividends

Eurozone bank dividends are poised to fall below the levels seen after the collapse of Lehman Brothers, as regulators push for lenders to bolster capital.

Invesco Perpetual's head of investment Neil Woodford said his favoured defensive blue chip names have recently delivered some confident trading updates, despite tough macroeconomic conditions.

Income investors have endured a lot of headwinds in 2011, but as we approach a new year, Cazenove's Income fund manager Matt Hudson said a number of sectors still face challenges.

EQUITY INCOME

BP saw profits soar in the third quarter as it prepares to sell off a further $15bn worth of assets, and the CEO pledges to boost the oil major's dividend and increase share buybacks.

UK firms will see their dividend payouts hit £67bn this year, an 18% rise on 2010, according to the latest Dividend Monitor from Capita Registrars.

Henderson's Stuart O'Gorman has said Apple may finally start paying dividends as the company evolves following the death of co-founder Steve Jobs.

James Harries, manager of the Newton Global Higher Income fund, reveals which sectors offer a decent and sustainable dividend.

One of the scariest aspects of the current debt crisis is the surfeit of cash on corporate balance sheets.

Newton is to lower the dividend target on Tineke Frikkee's Newton Higher Income fund in light of a "challenging market environment", as the group also moves to merge a number of its UK equity funds.