Interestingly, we last highlighted the Dogs of the Dow strategy about this time last year and at that time the Dow Dogs were outperforming the overall Dow Jones Industrial Average Index. For all of 2013 the Dow Dogs of last year outperformed the Dow Index as well as the S&P 500 Index. As we turn our attention to 2014, the Dogs of the Dow are again outperforming many of the broader market indices except for the utility index and the transportation index. 
The Dow Dog strategy consists of selecting the ten stocks that have the highest dividend yield from the stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Index (DJIA) after the close of business on the last trading day of the prior year. Once the ten stocks are determined, an investor would invest an equal dollar amount in each of the ten stocks and hold them for the entire year. Investors should note the strategy has generated mixed results over the years though.
Below is the year to date performance of the Dow Dogs through the market close on 4/17/2014. Below the table is a listing of the performance of a few market indices for this year as well. The year to date outperformance of this strategy is in line with the recent rotation occurring within the market from growth style equities to value style equities.