Singapore - Listed companies here are among the most generous in the region when it comes to distributing dividends, according to a Singapore Exchange My Gateway report out on Thursday.
Companies that make up the FTSE Singapore Index returned a dividend yield of 3.32 per cent last month, the highest among the 11 Asian economies included in the survey.
It was also above the 2.35 per cent average yield of the FTSE Indices for Asia.
Southeast Asian markets topped the table, with Singapore followed by Malaysia (3.28 per cent) and Thailand (2.99 per cent).
The report also noted that there are 47 stocks listed in Singapore that each have a market capitalisation of more than $1 billion that offer dividend yields that are equal to or above that of the FTSE Singapore Index.
Asian Pay Television Trust was the top performer with a dividend yield of 8.9 per cent for the year so far.
Hutchison Port Holdings Trust was second with a 7.6 per cent dividend yield, followed by OUE Hospitality Trust with a 7.3 per cent dividend yield.
The SGX report added that the 47 stocks averaged a 2.3 per cent total return for the year so far, bringing the average one year total return to 14 per cent.
Total returns include dividends and capital gains.
In terms of total returns, China Merchants Holdings came out tops with 9.7 per cent generated for the year so far.
AusNet Services and Mapletree Greater China Commercial Trust were next with 9 per cent total returns each.
The FTSE Singapore Index is broader, with 42 constituent stocks compared with its more well-known counterpart, the Straits Times Index (STI), which comprises the 30 biggest stocks.
Its performance is expressed in total returns in United States dollars, making for easier comparisons across stock markets.
Most of the STI stocks are in the FTSE Singapore Index, along with the largest stocks of the FTSE Mid Cap Index.
The FTSE Singapore Index does not include secondary listings and notable STI components that are excluded from it are Jardine Matheson, Jardine Strategic and Hong Kong Land.
