As for the dividend announcement tomorrow, here are some reasons why I think they will maintain what they announced on 19/02/2009:
-their profit guidance is around last year's profit levels so that is one reason why they would keep their dividend at that level this year -they have already gave investors some hope that the dividend will remain the same as last year in their announcement on 19/02/2009 by saying that it is "anticipated" to be the same. If they change their mind, investors will lose further confidance in the company and it could lead to a very substantial fall in SP by institutional investors who do not appreciate non-disclosure -the directors hold substantial amounts of SSM shares (most with over 1m shares) and as such, they will probably not want to see their share portfolio crumble. Also, I am sure they would be happy with getting a dividend themselves as shareholders -by not giving a dividend, the share price may fall making it not desirable IF they want to ever get further funding by issuing more shares. -finally, I think they probably would prefer not to make any more "surprises" -if you do decide to decrease it, it probably wont be by much for the above reasons.
Anyhow, who knows but thats what i think. :)
SSM Price at posting:
23.3¢ Sentiment: ST Buy Disclosure: Held
A personalised tool to help users track selected stocks. Delivering real-time notifications on price updates, announcements, and performance stats on each to help make informed investment decisions.
(20min delay)