As Stock Prices Go on Discount, Their Biggest Buyers Return

The biggest buyers of stocks are coming back. More than any other group, companies themselves are the largest purchasers of their own shares. But they were notably absent from the market the last few weeks, just as stock prices were tumbling on worries about global trade and rising interest rates. Businesses were holding back on repurchases the last few weeks because they were in one of their "blackout" periods for buybacks, a regular occurrence leading up to the release of their quarterly results. Now that most companies in the S&P 500 index have given their third-quarter reports, blackouts are lifting, and analysts across Wall Street say the return of those buyers should help support the market. The S&P 500 climbed 2.7 percent over Tuesday and Wednesday, after losing nearly 10 percent in the four prior weeks.