I think you need to look at a companies fundamentals. If it seems like the cashflow won't be able to meet the dividend then yes you can tell if a company will have to cut or suspend their dividend. Probably with some like GE, the stock might look cheap but with the financial arm being a big black hole, who knows how much exposure there is to losses. That sort of thing can easily lead to a dividend cut. Probably why the sp is being so badly beat up. Sometimes the technicals give good indication if something is wrong with the fundamentals, or at least if they can' be trusted.