The value of stock buyback plans has surged since 2010. According to investment researcher Morningstar, the top 30 S&P 500 companies repurchased around $700 billion worth of stock between 2010 and 2014.
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Since 2009, US corporations have spent at least $2.4 trillion repurchasing shares, the largest buyback binge since the market last peaked in 2007.
This binge has attracted plenty of attention, even making it Washington. In April, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., asked the Securities and Exchange Commission to revisit its policies around stock buybacks, citing "mounting evidence to suggest that buybacks have a negative effect on jobs, wages and investment." Hillary Clinton has also voiced her concerns about the effects buybacks are having on the wider economy.
Buyback announcements slowing
However, Credit Suisse's US Equity Strategy team...

