According to research released today, businesses paid their shareholders US$1.56 trillion (RM7 trillion) in dividends last year.
After recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic, the sum is up 8.4% from 2021, the previous record year, according to research by asset management Janus Henderson.
Half of the gain was accounted for by financial companies and oil and gas producers, according to its Global Dividend Index, which monitors the 1,200 largest companies by market capitalization.
According to the asset manager, oil and gas companies increased their distributions by more than 66% in the form of ordinary or special dividends as surging energy prices boosted profitability.
According to the report, 88% of businesses would either raise or maintain their dividends in 2022.
Eurozone banks used their newfound authority to pay dividends after the European Central Bank froze them at the outset of the pandemic.
According to the research, banks and other financial institutions were responsible for 25% of the increase in dividends last year.
The transport and shipping industries benefited from rising freight costs, although mining earnings declined from their record high in 2021 as a result of falling commodity prices.
The announcement of enormous corporate profits and bonuses has renewed debate over windfall taxation as the global economy falters and inflation puts pressure on households worldwide.
The prospects for dividends are more dubious going forward, according to Jane Shoemake, portfolio manager at Janus Henderson.
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