The Dogs of the Dow Crush It In 2011; The 2012 List By Bespoke Group. 2011 was a phenomenal year for the Dogs of the Dow strategy. As shown below, the ten Dow stocks with the highest dividend yields at the start of 2011 are up an average of 12.83% year to date just in terms of price appreciation. (This doesn't include the additional return that the dividend payments have provided.) Nine of the ten Dogs are up for the year, with McDonald's (MCD) registering the biggest gain at 30.99%. Du Pont (DD) is the only Dog that is down in 2011 with a decline of 7.32%. Below are tables of 2011 Dogs of the Dow and their YTD Performance as well as a list of the 2012 Dogs:
Source: Bespoke Group