To Pay or Not to Pay: When Dividend Policy Rhymes With Business Strategy

Dr Cédric Poretti | October 14, 2020

By Dr Cédric Poretti The current dividend drought The COVID-19 crisis is putting the global economy under pressure in an unprecedented way. Companies worldwide have been forced to cut their dividend payouts. Based on the Janus Henderson Global Dividend Index (August 2020), global dividends fell by 22% to $382.2bn in the second quarter of 2020. However, significant variations appeared across regions and industries. North American dividends barely changed on a year-on-year basis, while in Europe, 54% of firms reduced their dividend payouts. In France, payouts dropped by 57%, in Spain by 70%, in Germany by 19%, while no change appeared (on a ...