Stock buybacks show no signs of a slowdown so far this year

By DAMIAN J. TROISE
AP Business Writer

Companies in the S&P 500 bought a record amount of their own stock last year and don’t show any signs of slowing down. Flush with cash from solid earnings, major corporations repurchased $882 billion of stock in 2021. Goldman Sachs is forecasting stock buybacks to reach $1 trillion this year, even as companies grapple with rising inflation, higher interest rates and the potential for stunted economic growth. Among the notable companies to announce buybacks this year are Amazon, which plans to repurchase $10 billion in stock, and General Electric, with a $3 billion buyback.