The Financial Outlook for Personal Investors: The dividend outlook for the FTSE 100

Russ Mould of A J Bell has been crunching dividend numbers for the FTSE 100 index. Dividend forecasts for this year and next have fallen 10% over the past year and the jump in interest rates means that there is now more competition for investors' money. However, the market is expecting rate cuts and investors should remember that while fixed income is just that – fixed – companies can grow their dividends over time, with share prices adjusting as the dividends rise. Including extras such as buybacks (closed to private investors), the FTSE yields 6.9% and dividend cover is a decent 2.2 times. And while the market still seems undervalued, takeovers of UK companies (often smaller ones) by foreign buyers continue apace.