| The whole idea of “progressive” dividends – the corporate promise to keep dividends intact or, better yet, boost them every year – was always a risky idea, but one that still seduced income-craving investors. They piled into dividend-heavy shares and rode the wave. Now they’re paying the price. Dividends doled out by the big resources companies are getting slaughtered as prices for everything from oil to copper sink.
More dividends are to be sent to the knacker’s yard. The dividend yield of BHP Billiton, the world’s biggest mining company, is a lofty 11 per cent, the result of a 50 per cent fall in the share price in the last year. How much longer can BHP’s payout last? Not long, is the market’s guess, as the “stronger for longer” theory that had convinced investors commodity prices would stay high forever proves a myth...............................................Full Article: Source
|