U.S. Tech Giants and Banks Drive Record-Breaking Share Buybacks in 2025

US tech titans and banks are driving a record-breaking amount of share buybacks in 2025, with $983.6 billion worth of buybacks announced so far this year. Apple, Alphabet, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, and Morgan Stanley are among the biggest repurchasers. The trend is driven by strong earnings growth, tax cuts, and uncertainty over President Trump's tariff trade strategies, fueling a post-April resurgence in American stock markets.

US tech titans and banks are driving a record-breaking amount of share buybacks in 2025, with $983.6 billion worth of buybacks announced so far this year. Apple, Alphabet, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, and Morgan Stanley are among the biggest repurchasers. The trend is driven by strong earnings growth, tax cuts, and uncertainty over President Trump's tariff trade strategies, fueling a post-April resurgence in American stock markets [1, 2, 3].

According to new figures from Birinyi Associates, U.S. firms have announced $983.6 billion worth of stock buybacks so far this year, the best start to a year in over 40 years. This figure is on course to hit more than $1.1 trillion worth of buybacks by the end of 2025, marking an all-time high in the U.S. [1].

The biggest repurchasers include Apple (AAPL), Alphabet (GOOGL), JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Bank of America (BAC), and Morgan Stanley (MS). In May, Apple announced a $100 billion buyback, while in April Alphabet announced a $70 billion stock buyback program continuing a rising pattern since the Covid pandemic. JPMorgan said in July that the company will buy back $50 billion worth of stock. Bank of America announced a share-repurchase program of $40 billion, and Morgan Stanley reauthorized up to $20 billion in buybacks [1].

The main drivers behind this trend are strong earnings growth and tax cuts, which are bolstering corporate balance sheets. Additionally, the uncertainty surrounding President Trump’s tariff trade strategies is freezing investment plans and making buybacks a more appealing use of incoming cash. This has also fueled the post-April resurgence in American stock markets such as the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite [1].

While buybacks can bring cheer to both businesses and investors as prices are boosted because there are fewer shares around to trade, some analysts believe that companies preferring buybacks over investing in factories or offering dividends could weigh on growth over the long-term. However, companies like CBRE Group and Morgan Stanley are part of a broader trend of returning capital to shareholders through dividend payments and stock repurchases [3].

As we head into the second half of 2025, markets remain sensitive to rate decisions, earnings results, and potential tariff escalations under Trump’s trade strategy. Stock markets in the U.S. and around the world have shown resilience despite political and fiscal concerns, with the S&P 500 climbing 5.64% YTD and the Nasdaq 100 outperforming with a 7.65% gain [4].

References:
[1] https://www.tipranks.com/news/apple-and-google-drive-stock-buybacks-to-record-breaking-trillion-dollar-highs
[2] https://finance.yahoo.com/news/sampo-plc-share-buybacks-11-053000521.html
[3] https://www.ainvest.com/news/tech-giants-banks-drive-record-breaking-share-buybacks-2025-2508/
[4] https://www.babypips.com/trading/2025-mid-year-market-recap-and-what-traders-are-watching-next