Where are the best equity income plays today?

Stephen Message manager, Old Mutual UK Equity Income fund   Financials One area in which we are meaningfully overweight is financials. We have exposure to the banking sector through investments in Lloyds, Barclays, and HSBC. While we acknowledge the current environment for banks is challenging, the broader trajectory for the sector over the coming years is one of gradual improvement. In this scenario, levels of profitability should rise, which allows for greater dividend payments. With HSBC, we are already being paid an above average yield, while in the case of both Lloyds and...