Remember chasing high yields carries risk

Article Excerpt

Low interest rates have pushed income-seeking investors to search for high yield outside of traditional fixed-income investments. For many of these investors, stocks with high yields look increasingly attractive—and the best of those stocks (or ETFs that hold them) are buys for current income, as well as the potential for capital gains. In some cases, however, a high yield may be a warning sign that all is not well with a company and that future dividend payments are at risk. And whether it’s a dividend cut or even an outright dividend suspension, it’s often accompanied by a steep decline in the share price, as income investors dump their former high-yield favourites. A 2016 study by a group of U.S.-based academics provides some statistics on dividend-based investing. In reviewing almost 4,000 U.S. firms over 50 years, they found that dividend-paying stocks beat non-dividend payers by an average of 1.5% per year. In particular, the middle group (i.e., with an average yield of 4.3%)…