ANALYSIS: S&P 500 Buyback Suspensions Dropped to Zero in June

Buyback suspensions have calmed down. Looking at S&P 500 buyback activity, after reaching a peak of 35 buyback program suspensions in April, there were 16 suspensions in May, and none in June. That trend—from a peak in April to a complete drop-off in June—is also present when looking at all U.S. and global buyback suspensions.

The surge in share repurchase program suspensions followed the World Health Organization’s pandemic declaration in March. In the first half of the year, a total of 82 share repurchase programs were suspended among the S&P 500; in that same period, there were 259 overall U.S. ...