Posted on 02/04/2019 1:59:38 PM PST by reaganaut1
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Between 2008 and 2017, 466 of the S&P 500 companies spent around $4 trillion on stock buybacks, equal to 53 percent of profits. Another 30 percent of corporate profits went to dividends. When more than 80 percent of corporate profits go to buybacks and dividends, there is reason to be concerned.
This practice of corporate self-indulgence is not new, but it’s grown enormously. Fueled by the Trump tax cut, in 2018, United States corporations repurchased more than $1 trillion of their own stock, a staggering figure and the highest amount ever authorized in a single year.
This has become an enormous problem for workers and for the long-term strength of the economy for two main reasons.
First, stock buybacks don’t benefit the vast majority of Americans. That’s because large stockholders tend to be wealthier. Nearly 85 percent of all stocks owned by Americans belong to the wealthiest 10 percent of households. Of course, many corporate executives are compensated through stock-based pay. So when a company buys back its stock, boosting its value, the benefits go overwhelmingly to shareholders and executives, not workers.
Second, when corporations direct resources to buy back shares on this scale, they restrain their capacity to reinvest profits more meaningfully in the company in terms of R&D, equipment, higher wages, paid medical leave, retirement benefits and worker retraining.
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That is why we are planning to introduce bold legislation to address this crisis. Our bill will prohibit a corporation from buying back its own stock unless it invests in workers and communities first, including things like paying all workers at least $15 an hour, providing seven days of paid sick leave, and offering decent pensions and more reliable health benefits.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
A corporation is owned by its shareholders. Not letting a company return profits to shareholders through dividends and buybacks is expropriation.
They write that "Nearly 85 percent of all stocks owned by Americans belong to the wealthiest 10 percent of households", but this ignores the private and public pension funds that own stocks on behalf of workers. Already many of the public pension funds are underfunded, and reducing stock returns will worsen the underfunding.
a staggering figure and the highest amount ever authorized in a single year.
So freaking what? That's like saying, "If you don't own any stock you don't get and dividends!" and that ain't fair!............
I agree, workers need to be shareholders (not necessarily of their employer) so they can benefit as well.
Democrats once again prove they’re incompetent at just about anything other than incompetence.
Eventually their goal is to redefine the legal meaning of “corporation” to give it social goals which will surpass profit on the priority list.
What’s the Dems Cut ?
Authorization of the companies’ board of directors.
There’s plenty of reasons to question corporate managers who can’t think of anything better to invest in than their own shares. The obvious fact that they usually are compensated with stock options that rise in value with the share prices further renders the practice questionable.
But there’s absolutely NO reason why Chuck Schumer should be making that decision. It’s between the shareholders and the board and the management, and not really anyone else’s business.
And this is how you get Venezuela results,
Political correctness applied to businesses politicians know
Nothing about. Stock buy backs are economically identical to
Paying dividends, tax wise one is capital gain and the other is passive
Income.
This is a 'crisis'?..................good heavens, talk about hypocrisy! Thousands and thousands of illegals pounding on our southern border and that isn't a 'crisis', but corporations buying back their own stock is!.......................
SOS: “I see you have some money there. Give it to me.”
“Maximizing profits” has been a banned phrase for years.
This is a crisis???? You have got to be kidding me. Placing limitations on what companies can do with their own capital??? THAT is what communism looks like, my friends!!!!! Not no, but HELL NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I predict a lot of blow-back from Wall Street Dem donors......................Sanders I can see, but Chuckie knows better............they’ll take him to the woodshed and he’ll withdraw it................
Investors come first, this is Management 101, I mean come on, our society is being dumb down by the second with this kind of political manipulation.
workers are often times shareholders through 401K plans or even pension holdings...
They need to be authorized by the board. The thought process is that it will drive up the earning per share and concentrate ownership, pushing up the stock price.
If you own stock and don’t sell it, I am not sure what the problem is.
they are economic illiterates- that’s for sure...
Stock buy backs have proven to be a stupid and wasteful exercise. I saw recently that IBM and GE both have lost many $ billions on their buybacks
But even more stupid are Schumer and Sanders trying to micromanage what privately-owned companies and their investors do.
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