Never Mind the Fed: Reliable S&P 500 Rescuer Poised to Return
- Buybacks expected to surge once earnings-related blackout ends
- Companies have become biggest buyers of stocks in recent years
Pedestrians walk on Wall Street in front of the New York Stock Exchange in New York City.
Photographer: Victor J. Blue/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
While investors debate whether the Federal Reserve will rescue stocks, one reliable source of support for the market is poised to return.
That’s discretionary corporate buybacks, whose absence due to an earnings-related blackout coincided with this month’s S&P 500’s sell-off, one of the worst during this bull market. As reporting season draws to a close, however, planned share repurchases will surge as blackouts roll off, allowing companies to set a floor to the market should they opt to scoop up their own shares.