Marol

Diana Shipping: Prime Rebound Candidate

I hate to drag down the level of this terrific discussion, but I have a basic beginner's question, which is particularly pertinent to shipping (esp, FRO, etc):

I just don't understand why we should care about dividends, when the stock normally declines by the same amount each time the dividends are paid. I mean, I don't understand either short-term or long-term.

Am I missing something? Help! -- and thanks.