Dividend stocks in the Asia-Pacific beat the broader market in the fourth quarter of 2023 — bucking the trend in other regions. According to Morgan Stanley, the MSCI Asia Pacific ex Japan High Dividend Index outperformed the MSCI Asia Pacific ex Japan index by 1.76% in the fourth quarter last year. “We note that the defensive sentiment among Asia/[emerging market] investors continued to favor Quality Dividend stocks to outperform despite the Fed sending a signal of a potential pivot and the global financial conditions having started to turn easing from November onward,” the Wall Street bank said in a Jan. 5 report. Analysts and fund managers are generally also positive on dividend-paying stocks elsewhere for 2024 , citing conditions such as lower rates, which is good for stocks. For the Asia-Pacific ex Japan region, Morgan Stanley produced a screen of what it called its “conviction list” of dividend stocks, using these criteria on a 12-month forward-looking basis: Likely to outperform the MSCI Asia Pacific ex Japan High Dividend Index. Least likely to announce dividend cuts. Low risk of having dividend cuts, as rated by Morgan Stanley analysts. Market cap of more than $2 billion. Here are some stocks that appeared in Morgan Stanley’s screen. — CNBC’s Michael Bloom contributed to this report.
Subscribe for Updates
Get the latest creative news from TOPPIKR about world, politics and business.