Updated
Updated · 24/7 Wall St. · Aug 15
Non-U.S. Dividend ETFs Beat U.S. Peers by Up to 31% as SCHY Yield Reaches 6.3%
Updated
Updated · 24/7 Wall St. · Aug 15

Non-U.S. Dividend ETFs Beat U.S. Peers by Up to 31% as SCHY Yield Reaches 6.3%

1 articles · Updated · 24/7 Wall St. · Aug 15

Summary

  • SCHY, IDV and VYMI have outperformed comparable U.S. dividend funds over the past year, gaining 25%, 29% and 31%, respectively, as investors looked beyond domestic income strategies.
  • Higher payout ratios in Europe, Japan and Australia — amplified by dollar weakness and stronger European bank profits — have helped lift international dividend distributions above U.S. norms.
  • SCHY offers the closest international analogue to Schwab’s popular U.S. dividend fund, yielding about 6.3% with a 0.09% fee; its latest $0.36 quarterly payout was the fund’s largest on record.
  • IDV pushes income higher through a concentrated portfolio and more volatile payments, while VYMI trades some yield for broader diversification, including roughly 20% exposure to emerging markets.
  • The choice now hinges on investor priorities: SCHY for familiar screening and high yield, IDV for maximum annual income, or VYMI for a wider global dividend sleeve.

Insights

If foreign markets favor dividends over buybacks, does chasing higher yields abroad mask underlying weaknesses in global corporate growth?
How might currency fluctuations and a shifting US dollar impact the actual payouts of these high-yielding international funds?
With structural inflation persisting in 2026, could international dividend ETFs offer better inflation protection than traditional fixed income?