OK. Management have previously said the SDV deal will be...

OK.

Management have previously said the SDV deal will be finalised and announced before the end of December.


If it is not going to be announced before the end of December that is perfectly reasonable - these things happen. This is the culmination of a long and complicated round of negotiations starting with several potential partners.

However, if this is the case then an announcement should be made explaining that the negotiation period has been extended and an announcement is expected, say, before the end of January 2019.

No doubt someone will accuse me of arrogance and telling management what to do - but simply allowing the year to end without saying a word is unacceptable and pretty irresponsible too.