3 Big Dividends to Buy (Up to 9.4%) as Trump 2.0 Reshapes Markets

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3 Big Dividends to Buy (Up to 9.4%) as Trump 2.0 Reshapes Markets

In our Thursday article, we talked about a “quiet shift” in the markets, from growth stocks to value—and we named 2 CEFs yielding 9%+ that are primed to profit from it.

Yes, the recent jump in volatility is a big reason for that. So today, we’re going to look at another side of the rotation we’re seeing—a shift from passive investing to active.

Index Funds Are so 2023

As we move further into 2025, it’s getting clearer to me that we’re into a stock-picker’s market. Sitting in an index fund just won’t cut it.

That said, at my CEF Insider service, we’re still bullish on stocks (and stock-focused closed-end funds, many of which hand us 8%+ yields), and we’ll get into two stock-focused funds, along with another that holds preferred stocks—kind of a stock/bond hybrid—below.… Read more

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5 REITs Paying up to 13%: 3 Duds, 2 Studs

Interest rates are trending lower, which means real estate investment trusts (REITs) are rallying. These “bond proxies” tend to move alongside bonds and opposite rates.

If you believe the economy is likely to continue slowing, then select REITs are intriguing income plays here. Especially those yielding between 7.2% and 13.2%, which we’ll discuss shortly.

As I’ve been saying for a few weeks, the real story is in longer rates, namely the 10-year Treasury. I spelled this out in a recent article.

To recap, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has been upfront that he and President Trump are focused on the 10-year Treasury rate (the “long” end of the yield curve), and not the Fed benchmark (the “short” end).… Read more

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These “Secret” 9%+ Dividends Have Been Smart Buys Since 1927

Over the last couple of years, we’ve seen a quiet trend in investing—and today we’re going to tap into it with two funds yielding near 10%.

That’s right: enough to pay you back just shy of 10% of your initial buy a year in dividends alone.

What’s more, these two income plays—closed-end funds (CEFs), to be precise—have been around for nearly a century, with one dating from 1927 and the other having launched in 1929. That last date, of course, is notorious, as it heralded the start of the worst market crash in history.

I bring these two CEFs up now because their long institutional memory gives them a level of reliability that few other funds can match.… Read more

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Utility CEFs: An 8.1% Shield Against a Stock Market Crash

The average S&P 500 drawdown during a recession since 1990 is 40%. Recent economic data show that we are now careening towards a slowdown. Check out the bearish trends from Atlanta’s GDPNow forecast:

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is standing watch as DOGE shifts resources and money away from the public sector. The Secretary needs lower long-term interest rates so that he can sell bonds without breaking Uncle Sam’s bank!

How does this work? Last month alone, DOGE chopped 63,000 jobs. Bessent welcomes this softening of the labor market—increasing the available labor supply—because he has $9 trillion in federal debt to refinance this year.… Read more

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How to “Front-Run” the Next Bond Rally (With 8.7% Dividends)

Let me start with a prediction: Interest rates are going to fall this year—and by more than most people think.

When that happens, bonds—including one discounted 8.7%-paying bond fund we’ll get into shortly—are poised to head skyward.

Rates down, bonds up. That’s the law of Bond-land. It’s a simple fact that a lot of people, hopelessly caught up in the “tariffs cause inflation” storyline, are missing.

Bessent (and Trump) Go Over Jay Powell’s Head

Forget about the Fed standing pat on rates last week. Forget about Jay Powell saying he’s waiting for more clarity on the Trump administration’s policies before setting the ultimate direction of rates.… Read more

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3 CEFs That Have Soared Up to 47% Annualized (and 1 Is Still a Bargain)

Here’s some good news in these uncertain times: Most investors who’ve invested for the long haul are well-equipped to deal with this selloff. That’s because, over the last five years, stocks have been on an absolute tear.

In that period, the S&P 500 has delivered an average annual total return of 19.1%, as of this writing. That’s more than double the average of about 8% in the last century.

Looking at Various Time Frames Can Skew Our View

Think back five years for a moment. Back then, the stock market’s prospects looked bleak, indeed, as we were at the beginning of the pandemic-driven selloff.… Read more

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The C-Suite Loves These 5%-10% Yields. Should We?

When C-level types lay down five, six, even seven figures to scoop up shares, we listen.

After all, there is only one reason why executives buy their own stock. They believe the price is going up.

Insider buying is a great cue. But it is important for us to understand what “signal” buys look like.

Many executives have automatic buying programs, so like clockwork, we’ll see them snap up a few thousand shares at, say, the start of every quarter.

So what we really care about are sudden acquisitions across one or more insiders that fall well outside of their normal buying habits.… Read more

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How We’re Playing This “Ruthless Selloff” for 8%+ Dividends

The market pullback we’ve seen in the last couple of weeks really hasn’t come as a surprise to me. The economy is sending what you could—at best—call mixed signals right now. And stocks, as they do in uncertain times, are reacting.

I expect more volatility ahead, so today we’re going to talk about ways to protect ourselves while maintaining the 8%+ dividend streams we’re drawing from our favorite closed-end funds (CEFs). (Read: We’re not going to cash here.)

Instead we’re going to focus on a strategy that’s been around as long as investing itself—diversification—by putting a bit more weight on assets beyond stocks.… Read more

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This “Secret” Growth Stock Has 25% Upside in 2025

I’d like to share my exclusive “Made for 2025” Dividend Plan with you. It’s a simple, safe strategy that identifies dividend stocks with payouts set to surge higher.

As these divvies pop, so do their associated stock prices.

The truth is, this proven system works no matter what the economy, or the Fed (or even the executive branch of the federal government!) is doing. It’s the path to peppy price gains from protected payers.

Let’s talk about a timely example—a dividend dip to enjoy! On the campaign trail, President-Elect Trump presented us with a pullback in perennial dividend grower Deere & Co (DE) thanks to these comments:

“They’ve announced a few days ago that they are going to move a lot of their manufacturing business to Mexico.

… Read more

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Yes, This 85% Dividend Is as Ridiculous as It Sounds

Every so often here at Contrarian Outlook, we get questions from readers about investments sporting yields that are, frankly, ridiculous. 

Case in point: The 85% forward yield (as of this writing) on a fund called the YieldMax Ultra Income Strategy ETF (ULTY): Eighty. Five. Percent.

Think about that for a second: With a 85% yield, you’re getting your entire upfront investment back in about a year. Pretty sweet deal, right?

Well, not so fast.

Before I go further, I should say that when it comes to dividends, one thing we demand at my Contrarian Income Report advisory is that a stock or fund at least “returns its yield.”… Read more

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