2020 Dividends: A Year In Review

Seeking AlphaFinancial Advisor | Today's Market | Market Outlook2020 Dividends: A Year In ReviewDec. 16, 2020 3:23 PM ET|| Includes: DDM, DIA, DOG, DXD, EEH, EPS, EQL, FEX, HUSV, IVV, IWL, IWM, JHML, JKD, OTPIX, PSQ, QID, QLD, QQEW, QQQ, QQQE, QQXT, RSP, RWM, RYARX, RYRSX, SCHX, SDOW, SDS, SH, SPDN, SPLX, SPUU, SPXE, SPXL, SPXN, SPXS, SPXT, SPXU, SPXV, SPY, SQQQ, SRTY, SSO, SYE, TNA, TQQQ, TWM, TZA, UDOW, UDPIX, UPRO, URTY, UWM, VFINX, VOO, VTWO, VVby: WisdomTreeWisdomTree Asset Management/ETF Provider, Currency, Global Equities, fixed incomeWisdom Tree Blog.cls-1{fill:#024999;}SummaryS&P 500 dividends per share in 2019 set a record of $58.24.
One sector that fared relatively well, perhaps contrary to some people's expectations, was Financials.
As the market prices in greater confidence in the reopening of the economy next year, we have seen the share prices of the high-dividend payers that have lagged the most this year begin to outperform.

This has been a whirlwind year in countless ways.
The usually staid topic of dividend announcements has even had its fireworks, with significant dividend cuts made from a diverse set of household names like Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC), Boeing (NYSE: BA), and Disney (NYSE: DIS).
S&P 500 dividends per share in 2019 set a record of $58.24. With the backdrop of a steady economy, expectations entering this year were for dividends to improve about 4% from that record, to $60.80.
By the end of February, expectations had inched up to $61.40 before nosediving as the economy plummeted into a coronavirus-induced contraction. Through March, expectations shifted to a 28% contraction in 2020 dividends relative to 2019 - an outcome that would have set a record for negative growth in S&P 500 dividends in a calendar year.
Nearing the end of this year, with just about all dividend payments having been announced, S&P 500 dividends are expected to be off by just 1% relative to the 2019 high watermark - a welcome... Read more