Dividends hit quarterly record in Q2 Janus Henderson
Surging energy prices put dividends on course for record year
Emerging markets, banks and autos also behind growth
Boom in payouts contrasts with workers39; costofliving crisis

LONDON, Aug 24 Reuters Energy companies reaping record profits from soaring oil and gas prices have helped global dividend payments to shareholders soar above prepandemic levels and to a record quarterly high, data showed on Wednesday.

Oil and gas firms, including statecontrolled giants in Latin America, accounted for more than twofifths of the growth in dividend payments in the three months to endJune, according to fund manager Janus Henderson39;s latest global dividend report.

Banks freed from pandemicera restrictions on dividends were behind a similar share of the growth in payouts, while consumer firms such as automotive manufacturers also shelled out more.

In total, global dividend payments reached 544.8 billion in the second quarter, Janus Henderson calculated, up 11.3 on a headline basis yearonyear after companies slashed dividends during the COVID19 pandemic.

The payouts highlight how stellar a year companies enjoyed in 2021 as economies recovered, and how well corporate profitability has held up this year even as households are plunged into a costofliving crisis as inflation soars and fears of a global recession mount.

For the year, Janus Henderson forecasts global dividend payments will reach a record 1.56 trillion, a 5.8…