Earlier in December, the U.S. Federal Reserve left key interest rates unchanged at a range of 5.25% to 5.5%. That was good news for borrowers who have been increasingly under pressure in the last year as the cost of loans has crept steadily higher alongside interest rates, and the stock market has been rising nicely as a result of this optimism.
But one part of the economy that has been pretty pleased by the recent ramp-up in rates – and may have actually been fine with another boost – has been the fixed-income market. Rising rates mean rising returns for interest-bearing assets including bonds, specialized investment funds and other investments. This has created some of the best yields across these assets since before the financial crisis of 2008.
It hasn’t been easy to be a dividend-oriented investor in recent years. But nowadays, if you’re looking for income you can get much more than just the paltry 1.5% that’s offered by the typical S&P 500 stock at present. The following seven picks are among the best high-dividend ETFs to buy now, based on both their current yield.
This post originally appeared at U.S. News & World Report.