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Singapore stocks top for dividends in Asia

This article is more than 12 months old

Singapore stocks are Asia's best performers in terms of dividend yield, with main counters in the telco, banking and industrial sectors all delivering solid returns.

The FTSE Singapore Index maintained a yield of 3.74 per cent as of March 31, according to monthly indices that compare stock market performances in the region.

Taiwan was second at 3.66 per cent, followed by Thailand's 3.24 per cent and Malaysia's 3.04 per cent. FTSE Hong Kong had a dividend yield of 2.39 per cent. The average of all 10 indices of Asian economies was 2.64 per cent.

Dividend yield is a ratio tracking a counter's dividend payouts in the past 12 months relative to its share price.

While the local stock market has niggling issues of stagnant turnover, it is also known for stable yield plays that reward long-term investors.

Yield hunters favour property trusts, but other segments are as rewarding, Singapore Exchange market strategist Geoff Howie noted.

"In total, 40 per cent of the constituents of the FTSE All-World Index currently qualify for the FTSE All-World High Dividend Yield Index. However, 70 per cent of Singapore's constituents in the FTSE All-World Index qualify for the FTSE All-World High Dividend Yield Index," he said.

The FTSE All-World High Dividend Yield Index excludes all property trusts.

Singapore Press Holdings, with a dividend yield of 4.2 per cent, was seventh on the list of best dividend stocks in Singapore. The company will announce its second-quarter results today.

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