Wall Street Weekahead: Spotlight falls on 'dividend aristocrats' after market tumult

Companies across a range of industries are slashing or suspending dividends to cope with the economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak, complicating the stock selection process for money managers eager to buttress their portfolios with a steady stream of income. The past week's plunge in oil prices has potentially accelerated that process, raising concerns about the rock-steady dividends of companies such as Exxon Mobil and Chevron Corp, which are set to report results on Friday, May 1. The S&P 500 dividend aristocrats index, which tracks companies that have increased dividends annually for the past 25 years and includes Exxon and Chevron, has fallen about 19% so far in 2020 as of Thursday, greater than the 12.9% drop over that time for the S&P 500 total return index.

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