As debt woes in Europe roil U.S. markets, more investors are turning to dividend-paying stocks for stability, says Daniel Peris, manager of the Federated Strategic Value Fund(SVAAX). Why will total returns become popular with investors again?

Peris: Total return is dominated by the dividend, both the dividend yield and dividend growth over time and that's how we manage this portfolio. After a 25-year period in which investors have really been moving away from dividends with interest rates and the rate of the risk-free alternative coming down, dividends really faded into the background. Well, we've reached rock bottom. Interest rates are at zero and the return from many near-term investments is close to zero.

Source: TheStreeet.com

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