Interest rates look set to remain at historic lows, at least for the next few years. So, keeping your money in a high-interest savings account or a term deposit will barely keep up with inflation. Maybe you’re currently in or nearing retirement, or maybe you are still working and just looking for a handy way to supplement your income stream?

Either way, here are 3 blue chip ASX shares to consider for strong dividend yields: Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG), Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) and Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS).

All 3 of these companies pay attractive dividends and are well-positioned for long term growth.

Macquarie

Macquarie is a global financial services business with a core focus on international investment banking.

In terms of ASX listed blue chip shares to select from, I definitely prefer Macquarie over Australia’s big 4 major banks: Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA), Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC), National Australia Bank Ltd. (ASX: NAB) and Australia and New Zealand Banking GrpLtd (ASX: ANZ).

I’m more attracted to Macquarie due to the quality and diversity of its earnings base. In particular, it is less exposed to downturns in the local residential property market. It could be quite a rocky road ahead for this sector over the next few months.

Macquarie currently provides investors with a forward fully franked dividend yield of 3.59%.

Wesfarmers

Wesfarmers is a highly diversified business. It has operations in retail segments including general merchandise and office supplies. It also has exposure to the industrial sector with operations in energy and fertilisers, and industrial and safety products.

This high level of diversification across a broad spectrum of the Australian economy is the core strength of this blue chip ASX share.

Wesfarmers business performance during the coronavirus pandemic has been stronger than most. It revealed in early June that it has experienced particularly strong demand from both its Bunnings and Officeworks stores.

Also, Wesfarmers offers investors a forward fully franked dividend yield of around 3.55% right now.

Telstra

Another blue chip ASX share I would consider buying now for strong dividend yield is Australia’s largest telco provider, Telstra. It currently offers investors a handy forward fully franked dividend yield of around 3.1%.

Telstra has been restructuring into a leaner company, so it can remain in a dominant no. 1 market position. Telstra also has had to absorb increased investments in its 5G network to gain an upper hand in this emerging market. However, these investments are now paying off. It is currently a world leader in terms of 5G network rollouts.

I believe that 5G could be a real game-changer for Telstra. The 5G network has the potential to offer even faster broadband speeds than the NBN.

More reading

• 2 blue chip ASX 200 dividend shares to buy next week
• What is the price/earnings (p/e) ratio?
• The ASX big bank stock with the best forecast dividend yield for the new year
• Australian retail sales up 16.3% in May
• Brokers just upgraded these ASX 200 stocks to “buy” today

Motley Fool contributor Phil Harpur owns shares of Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Limited, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Telstra Limited, and Westpac Banking. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Macquarie Group Limited and Telstra Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of Wesfarmers Limited. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The post Consider these blue chip ASX shares for strong dividend yields appeared first on Motley Fool Australia.

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The potential for further stock price declines after the recent market crash may dissuade some investors from buying high-quality businesses today.

However, predicting the stock market’s performance over a short time horizon can be problematic due to the wide range of inputs that can affect its prospects.

Therefore, buying companies while they offer wide margins of safety could be a shrewd move. They may be able to deliver impressive performance in the coming years.

Predicting a stock market crash

Trying to forecast when a market crash will occur is exceptionally difficult. For example, the recent pandemic was an unprecedented event that was not on the radar of the vast majority of investors. Trying to predict what happens next when risks such as a possible second wave and geopolitical challenges between the United States and China are ongoing may prove to be an equally difficult task.

Other crises such as the global financial crisis were also not foreseen by many investors. And, perhaps more importantly, the scale of recovery from them was not anticipated by most investors while the economic outlook was at its worst and stock prices were at their most attractive.

Buying undervalued stocks

Therefore, predictions about the prospect of a further market crash may prove to be of little value in the coming months. By contrast, a strategy that focuses on buying the best-quality companies in an industry that faces an uncertain future could be highly profitable. They may be in a strong position to survive a period of economic difficulty, and could even seek to expand their market positions through taking market share away from competitors.

Moreover, even if the stock market experiences a further downturn, its recovery prospects appear to be bright. The stock market has been able to produce annualised total returns in the high-single digits over the long run. It has also successfully recovered from even its very worst bear markets to rise to new record highs. Therefore, a strategy of purchasing stocks and holding them for the long term is likely to yield a higher return that that on offer via other mainstream assets – especially since interest rates are expected to remain low over the medium term.

Portfolio management

Of course, investors may wish to hold some cash over the coming months in case there is a market crash. Doing so may provide them with the opportunity to capitalise on short-term mispricings among high-quality companies.

However, in many cases, stocks appear to include wide margins of safety at the present time that reflect the risks they face during an uncertain period for the world economy. Buying a diverse portfolio of them now and holding them through what could prove to be a volatile period for stock prices may lead to high returns that improve your long-term financial outlook.

More reading

• 2 blue chip ASX 200 dividend shares to buy next week
• What is the price/earnings (p/e) ratio?
• 2 great value ASX 200 shares I’d buy next week
• Consider these blue chip ASX shares for strong dividend yields
• How to turn $20,000 into $250,000 in 10 years with ASX shares

Motley Fool contributor Peter Stephens has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The post Market crash 2020: could further stock price declines be on the horizon? appeared first on Motley Fool Australia.

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