Article preview: What is the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on dividend payouts to investors in the largest firms in the world? New research from Janus Henderson, published in their latest Global Dividend Index, suggests that global dividends will fall by between 17.5% and 20% this year, a total drop of around $263 billion. However, there is a ray of light ahead, with the prediction that dividend payouts will recover strongly in 2021.