With plunging interest rates around the world continuing to mystify investors, one would think that high yielding stocks would be a primary beneficiary as investors search for alternative sources of yield. The fact is, though, that stocks with high dividend yields haven’t been very good performers over the last year. As shown in the chart below, the deciles of Russell 1000 stocks with the highest dividend yields are all down over the last year, including the deciles of the two highest yielders which are down an average of over 10%! Meanwhile, the deciles of stocks with little or no yields are all up.  

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