Which of the following would be categorized as 'Dividends received'?

In accounting, 'Dividends received' refers to income generated from investments in shares of other companies. When a company holds shares, they may receive dividends as a way for the issuing company to distribute its profits to shareholders. This income is considered part of the company's revenue.

Operating income represents the earnings generated from a company’s core business operations, including sales of goods and services. While dividends received are not a direct result of these operations, they can still be included under operating income if they are an expected part of the business's financial activities, especially in companies that invest in other firms.

The other options are not related to dividends received: loss on sale pertains to the losses incurred when an asset is sold for less than its booked value; direct costs are expenses directly associated with the production of goods or services; and finance costs refer to expenses related to borrowing funds, such as interest payments. Each of these categories serves a different purpose in the financial statements and does not capture the essence of income from dividends.