Investors’ desire for buybacks, dividends high

Investors’ desire for companies to prioritise returning cash to shareholders through share buybacks, dividends or mer­gers and acquisitions (M and A) is at the highest level since July 2015, said a survey by BofA Securities (BofA). Nearly 30 per cent of respondents wanted companies to do so. As many as 226 respondents with $572 billion worth of assets under management (AUM) participated in the March fund manager survey (FMS), said BofA.