Why not look for dividends? | Best stock picks for 2020 | Santoli breaks down market at records

With stocks near all time highs, some investors are recommending stocks that pay high dividends..

VIEW IN BROWSER | SUBSCRIBE SAT, JAN 11, 2020 WEEKEND BRIEF EDITOR'S NOTE It was a thrilling year for stock investors, with the S&P 500 up nearly 29% in 2019.   Perhaps it's time to do something a little more boring — like buying stocks for dividends instead of price appreciation.   That's the advice some top financial institutions have been giving their clients, CNBC's Yun Li writes. And if forecasts of meager gains come true, you just might match or even beat the market with a dividend-focused exchange-traded fund. The iShares Select Dividend ETF, for example, has a current dividend yield of 3.6%.   If you don't like the dividend strategy, CNBC's Michael Bloom writes about the top stock picks of Wall Street analysts for 2020. They include companies that are still running strong on growth or innovation stories: Verizon, McDonald's, Estee Lauder, Facebook, Simon Property Group and ViacomCBS.   Maybe the decade-long bull market still has more room to run.    Michael Santoli, CNBC's senior markets commentator, says the stock market has not been this highly valued or deeply loved in two years. That's when Wall Street reached "peak happiness," which marks the highest levels of valuation, investor confidence, financial liquidity and risk appetites achieved during this decade-long bull market.   "The extremes in sentiment can certainly grow more extreme from here," Santoli writes.   Enjoy the weekend and thanks for reading Weekend Brief.  Email your thoughts at EveningBrief@nbcuni.com or message me on Twitter @tellittoal.   Subscribe to CNBC PRO for exclusive insights and analysis, and live business day programming from around the world.   Al Lewis | CNBC Markets Editor @tellittoal MICHAEL SANTOLI'S MARKET COLUMN The stock market has not been this richly valued or avidly loved in two years   THE WEEK AHEAD Trade deal and earnings season could shape the market's next moves   YOUR WEEKEND BRIEFING  Dividend stocks look attractive with a volatile year that nets measly returns expected ahead Wall Street analysts say invest in these top stocks in 2020 including McDonald's & Facebook Stocks have less upside this year, according to the analysts who know them best Why 2020 could be a big year for international stocks over US equities Cramer's week ahead: 'This is a good moment for profit-taking'     Unsubscribe Manage Newsletters Terms of Service Join the CNBC Panel Digital Products Feedback Privacy Policy   © 2020 CNBC LLC. All rights reserved. A property of NBCUniversal. 900 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes and Market Data and Analysis. Data also provided by THOMSON REUTERS