Given the economic and pandemic uncertainties, investors should look at dividend-paying stocks with solid fundamentals. These types of stocks will do well in a rising-rate environment which seems likely given inflation and Fed policy. As a result, Wall Street analysts expect dividend-paying banks Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) and Banco Santander S.A (MC:SAN) to rally more than 30%.After the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell more than 1,000 points on Friday, investors cautiously returned to the markets on Monday. The dramatic sell-off occurred when news of the omicron variant spreading to further nations circulated. The CBOE Volatility Index has increased 38.4% over the past five days, indicating heightened volatility.
As the stock market is expected to remain volatile due to the fears related to the new strain, we feel it may be prudent to switch to dividend investing now to ensure a steady income stream. Moreover, it could be wise to pick the stocks from the banking sector, as banks usually perform better in an inflationary environment.
Fundamentally sound dividend-paying bank stocks Citigroup Inc. (C) and Banco Santander S.A (SAN) could be worth adding to your watchlist now. Wall Street analysts expect these stocks to rally 30% or more in the near term.