Worse year on record predicted for dividends

Nearly half of all companies in the FTSE All-Share Index will cut or scrap dividends this year accor...

Nearly half of all companies in the FTSE All-Share Index will cut or scrap dividends this year according to research from UBS. A report from UBS analyst, Sebastian Lancetti, shows the forecast for 2009 is the worst on record with the company's model predicting 48% of companies in the FTSE All-Share index will cut their dividend. The report highlights financials as the worst affected sector with 76% of companies expected to cut dividends, while over 50% of basic materials and consumer services companies and 40% of industrials and consumer goods companies will cut or scrap theirs. Curre...