Global Dividends Analysis and Payout

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between S&P Global Dividend Opportunities Index and market indices of the largest economies of the world, which included U.S., U.K., Germany, Sweden, Spain, Brazil, Hong Kong, Australia, Norway, and Canada for the time period of five years, starting from April 2007 and ending April 2012. Multiple correlation coefficient and coefficient of determination were calculated to study this relationship. The multiple correlation coefficient measured the relationship between the S&P Global Dividend Opportunities Index and market indices whereas the coefficient of determination indicated the percentage of the variation in the S&P Global Dividend Opportunities Index that can be explained and accounted for by the market indices in the regression equation. The multiple regression analysis was performed to study the effect of ten market indices on the movement of S&P Global Dividend Opportunities Index. Results implied that market indices of five out of ten economies when used together better predicted the movements in the S&P Global Dividend Opportunities Index. It was also found that, when individual market Indices were regressed with S&P Global Dividend Opportunities Index, the S&P Global Dividend Opportunities Index was highly correlated with Australia’s market index. The regression equations indicated that the market indices of all economies had positive coefficients in the regression equations, indicating that market indices moved in the same direction as that of the S&P Global Dividend Opportunities Index.