Dividends are distributed profits, and these companies all have made profits. They just didn't distribute them among shareholders. Distributing or not distrib

Dividends are distributed profits, and these companies all have made profits. They just didn't distribute them among shareholders. Distributing or not distributing profits is irrelevant as far as shareholders are concerned, since being the owners of the company they own the profits either way. The important thing that differentiates shares and bonds from other assets such as commodities and virtual currencies, is that the former produce income (in the form of profits or interest) while the latter don't.