The Global Finance magazine has published its annual ranking of the World’s Biggest Banks for 2010 based on assets. BNP Paribas (BNPQY) of France tops the list with total of assets of over $2.9 Trillions.
The World’s 50 Biggest Banks 2010:
[TABLE=556]
Source: Fitch Ratings except
*Standard & Poor’s
**Agricultural Bank of China
Six Chinese banks are represented in this ranking. Other these banks from China none of the banks from emerging markets made it to this list.
The Dow Jones Mexico Titans 20 Index measures the performance of the largest and most liquid stocks traded in Mexico.
The index measures the performance of 20 leading Mexican companies.The components of the index are selected based on float-adjusted market capitalization and trading volumes.
The Top 10 Components of the Dow Jones Mexico Titans 20 Index are listed below with their dividend yield as of September 23, 2010:
1. Company: America Movil (AMOV)
Sector: Telecom
Current Dividend Yield: 0.48%
2. Company: Wal-Mart de Mexico (OTC: WMMVY)
Sector:Consumer Services
Current Dividend Yield: 1.17%
3. Company: Fomento Economico Mexicano (OTC: FMXUF)
Sector: Consumer Goods
Current Dividend Yield: 1.19%
4. Company: Grupo Televisa (TV)
Sector:Consumer Services
Current Dividend Yield: 2.77%
5. Company: Grupo Mexico (OTC: GMBXF)
Sector: Basic Materials
Current Dividend Yield: 1.29%
6. Company: Cemex (CX)
Sector: Industrials
Current Dividend Yield: N/A
7. Company: Grupo Financiero Inbursa (OTC: GPFOF)
Sector: Financials
Current Dividend Yield: 1.13%
8. Company: Grupo Bimbo (OTC: GRBMF)
Sector: Consumer Goods
Current Dividend Yield: 0.57%
9. Company: Telefonos de Mexico (OTC: TFONY)
Sector: Telecom
Current Dividend Yield: 5.45%
10. Company: Grupo Financiero Banorte (OTC: GBOOF)
Sector: Financials
Current Dividend Yield: 0.35%
Since most of the stocks noted above trade on the OTC markets, the iShares Mexico ETF (EWW) provides another alternative to gain exposure to these companies. The fund has an asset base of $1.5B and America Movil alone accounts for about 27% of the portfolio.
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9 Stocks that Have Consistently Raised Dividends for 25 Years or More
According to a research note by Goldman Sachs, the S&P 500 gained 255% in price appreciation in the last 20 years. When dividend reinvestment is considered, the S&P 500’s total return jumps to 439.3%. That amounts to a difference of an astonishing 184.3% in returns.
Goldman noted:
“Amid the slowing economic environment and historically high cash balances in corporate America … we believe that investors should continue to invest in companies whose dividend payouts will drive shareholder returns.â€
Hence Goldman Sachs searched for companies matching the following conditions:
The search returned the stocks noted below:
[TABLE=555]
Note: FCF = Free Cash Flow
Source: The Globe and Mail
In addition to the above nine equities, medical equipment maker Baxter International (BAX) also made it to the list. But the dividend data is not included in the list.Analog Devices(ADI), KLA-Tencor(KLAC) and Linear Technology (LLTC) are semiconductor firms that used to be hi-fliers during the dot com mania.
In a recent article I wrote that the average stock holding period in the NYSE fell to around 7 months in 2007. In addition to this very low holding period, investors today must endure tremendous volatility in the markets. The chart below shows the S&P 500 volatility has changed over the past 33+ years:
Click to Enlarge
Source: Volatility – The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly by Rob Brown, PhD, CFA, Benchmark Plus Management, LLC.
Since the Black Monday of 1987, the volatility measure has exceeded the value of 100 seven times.