Companies give investors a bumper year

The PricewaterhouseCoopers report, based on data for 70 listed companies with a combined value of nearly $50 billion, found the median total shareholder return jumped to 20 per cent in the year to June 2004, from 16 per cent the year earlier. Total shareholder returns are made up of share price gains or losses for the period, plus any dividends paid.

PWC corporate finance partner David Bridgman said the improvement was driven by the stronger focus on corporate governance since the global accounting scandals of 2002 and a renewed emphasis on performance in the past year.

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