Asian firms are 'generous' with dividends

The US tech giant Apple says it will use its $98bn (£61bn) cash pile to start paying a dividend to shareholders, and to buy back some of its shares.

It is the first time the company has declared a dividend since 1995.

Meanwhile, Asian companies are not doing badly either. Hong Kong listed companies have a combined $1tn in the cash reserves, while corporate Japan ranks second at around $900bn.

So how generous are Asian companies? Arjuna Mahendran is chief Asia strategist at HSBC Private Bank.