Favored by the banking and industrial sectors, Piazza Affari is poised to receive a €34 billion in dividends between April and June. This represents a significant improvement over previous year, when the Italian Stock Exchange detached a total coupon of 18.5 billion. Leonardo's coupon more than quadrupled to 0.28 euros from 0.14 euros, owing primarily to the European defense and security electronics division's robust order increase (almost 18 billion). The major banks are champions of shareholder collections and repayments, having capitalized to the fullest extent on revenues generated by the ECB-decided interest rate increase through the modification of loan charges and the absence of compensation for current accounts. Profits from Intesa Sanpaolo, Unicredit, Banco Bpm, Bper, Mps, Mediobanca, Popolare di Sondrio, Credem, and Crédit Agricole Italia totaled €24 billion as interest margins increased. In turn, and to a considerable extent, these massive gains were "turned over" to shareholders. The automobile sector is also doing well, and unlike in the past, it can now pay big dividends due to its ample cash reserves.
|