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 September 15

Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending September 15. 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                          Absa Group Limited (AGRPY): now $0.5518 per share dividend, was $0.5416. AGNC Investment Series C Fixed-to-Floating Rate Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock (AGNCN): now $0.6676 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.6482. Andlauer Healthcare Group (AND:CA): now CAD 0.09 per share quarterly dividend, was CAD 0.08. Brambles (BXBLY): now $0.26 per share dividend, was $0.22. China Resources Cement Holdings (CARCY): now $0.1364 per share dividend, was … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of September 27

Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending September 27. 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                          Acadia Realty Trust (AKR): now $0.19 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.18. Accenture (ACN): now $1.48 per share quarterly dividend, was $1.29. B3 S.A. – Brasil, Bolsa, Balcão (BOLSY): now $0.0214 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.0170. BancFirst (BANF): now $0.46 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.43. Bank of South Carolina (BKSC): now $0.19 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.17. Banco de Sabadell, S.A. … Read more