Anyway, ASICMINER shares are so esoteric its hard to believe an interest in Bitcoin has led to an increase in ASICMINER price without a corresponding increase in bitcoin price.
I would posit that most of the smaller investors in AM (Those with less than 50 shares) are reinvesting divs right back into more shares, either directly or through fractional share purchases.
This would have the effect of funneling btc directly into the hands of those wishing to cash out, which is the primary reason for selling. This lends itself to the following hypothesis:
Purchases of AM tend to go to sellers who convert the btc to cash, driving down btc exchange rate and simultaneously increasing AM share prices as reinvestment means less shares available for sale.
The results are exactly what we are seeing, and the market for both btc and AM may just be thin enough at this point where the hypothesis is correct as a causation factor of current trends. There would be of course, other factors at play, but i would consider that this one may be the primary one.
The divs aren't big enough to have that kind of affect. Besides, seems like reaching. It contributes to the value, but it's not a primary one IMO.