Uncertainty of Italy’s Political Future Weighing on Global Investors’ Minds

Italy holds ~$2.7 trillion in public debt, and global investors are worried that a new government could implement policies that would weaken the country’s credit status. Though a sovereign debt crisis does not seem probable at this point, bond markets are suggesting that risks are rising. By Brian Nelson, CFA We do not want investors to be worried by events unfolding in Italy (EWI) of late, as they may not be any more significant than the impact of Brexit (EWU) on equity market returns during the past few years. We can’t cast a blind eye to developments either, however, as Italy’s sovereign debt is not-at-all small by any country’s standards (it’s the third-largest in the world), and the political uncertainty … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of December 22

Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending December 22. The dividend reports of covered firms on this list will be updated shortly with the new information. To access our dividend reports use the ‘Symbol’ search box in our website header. Firms Raising Their Dividends This Week                          BDO Unibank, Inc. (BDOUY): now $0.0852 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.0847. Beaver Coal Company (BVERS): now $115.00 per share quarterly dividend, was $90.00. Big Banc Split Corp. (TSX:BNK:CA): now CAD 0.12 per share monthly dividend, was CAD 0.0662. Britvic plc (BTVCY): now $0.5477 per share semi-annual dividend, was $0.1830. Calvin B. Taylor Bankshares (TYCB): now $0.40 per share special dividend, was $0.34. China … Read more