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How the world's richest people became much richer during the pandemic

Jan 16, 2023
Two-thirds of the $42 trillion in new wealth went to the wealthiest 1%, says a new report from Oxfam. The group also says tax policy can change that.
Many of the big companies that made the most money early in the pandemic, like Amazon and Walmart, spent more on shareholders than raising workers' pay, says Molly Kinder of Brookings. Above, the interior of a Walmart.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Stock buybacks: the pros and cons for companies and investors

Aug 19, 2022
GM plans to buy back $5 billion worth of its own stock. Why do critics love to hate this corporate maneuver?
General Motors says it will buy back $5 billion worth of its own stock, but critics say the company could use the money to pay workers more or advance green initiatives.
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Why companies repurchase their own shares

Apr 4, 2022
Stock buybacks are typically meant to return value to shareholders. But critics say the cash could be used to create jobs or raise workers' pay.
Spencer Platt/ Getty Images

SEC's Gary Gensler wants to tighten rules around insider trading, stock buybacks and more

The Security and Exchange Commission's proposals could attract pushback from corporate America.
Gensler's new proposals could attract pushback from corporate America.
Evelyn Hockstein/AFP/Getty Images

Do insider trading rules apply to corporate stock buybacks?

Sep 23, 2021
Big companies spent nearly $200 billion on share repurchases last quarter. The lack of government oversight has drawn a backlash.
Traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Flush with cash, many big American companies are buying back their own shares, a practice that is relatively unregulated.
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Banks pump up shareholder payouts as Fed ends pandemic limits

Dividend hikes and stock buybacks are on the way.
Wells Fargo, for instance, is doubling its dividend and plans to buy back $18 billion in stock.
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Boeing used to give more money to shareholders than it made. Now it's getting stimulus help.

Washington Post columnist Allan Sloan says Boeing hasn't just parceled out profit to shareholders. The company "sent it out with a fire hose."
Scott Olson/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Boeing is in line for a bailout under "too big to fail" theory

Mar 20, 2020
The aircraft maker is also a space and defense company, "a huge provider of government services," one expert says.
Boeing directly employs about 150,000 people but relies on the broader aerospace industry with 2.5 million jobs.
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Why stock buybacks soared at the end of 2018

May 2, 2019
There are several reasons for the frenzy.
Stocks have rallied in November, with the Dow reaching a milestone level Tuesday.
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Why big companies are buying up their own stocks

Aug 7, 2018
Buybacks among S&P 500 companies are projected to hit $1 trillion this year.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images