Trustnet Magazine 62 May 2020 | Page 16

Your portfolio 30 / 31 [ DIVIDEND CUTS ] Rebecca Jones weighs up the options for income-seekers now their UK dividend love story is over Divid-end of the affair The Covid-19 pandemic currently ravaging the globe has dealt a blow to investors of every ilk, though perhaps none more so than those in search of income. As of 5 April, 45 per cent of dividend-paying companies in the UK had cut their shareholder payouts, with banks withdrawing the lion’s share of income from the FTSE 100 following pressure from the government and regulators. With the Investment Association having scrapped the yield requirement for both the IA UK Equity Income and Global Equity Income sectors, the prognosis is not good for anyone relying on dividends. Richard Hunter, head of markets at interactive investor, expects the FTSE 100’s average yield to halve to around TRUSTNET trustnet.com