The world's biggest companies paid out record dividends last quarter.
Global dividends rose 5.1 per cent to $354.2 billion, a record for third-quarter payouts, Janus Henderson said.
Underlying growth, the core measure of progress, was a "very rapid" 9.2% year-on-year.
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Quarterly records were broken in the US, Canada, Taiwan and India, but Australia lagged well behind.
Chinese dividends grew for the first time in four years, according to the Janus Henderson Global Dividend Index.
US payouts jumped 9.1% in headline terms to a record $120bn.
Almost half of that increase was down to a $5.3bn special dividend paid by Dr Pepper Snapple when it was acquired by Keurig.
Australian dividends were the weakest in the developed world. They inched ahead just 1.3% on an underlying basis.
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Ben Lofthouse, of Janus Henderson, said the quarter exceeded expectations but, "more importantly, the quality of growth was better than expected".
He noted: "It came despite a negative impact from exchange rate moves and a lower level of special dividends.
"Importantly, our core underlying measure of growth was strong. 2018 may be a volatile and more challenging year for stock markets, but steady profit growth means dividends should continue to make steady progress."
He added: "Expectations for corporate earnings growth in 2019 are starting to come under some pressure, given the late stage of the economic cycle.
"That is not to say that profits themselves are set to fall, however, rather that the pace of expansion may now be slower than previously thought.
"Growing profits and strong cash flow mean that dividends should continue to be well supported and so investors seeking an income from their shares should feel confident about the year ahead."
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