Goldman Sachs predicts that stock buyback activities in the US will heat up in 2026, but there is still a gap compared to 2024.

Goldman Sachs predicts that the scale of stock buybacks in the United States is expected to increase year-on-year by 2026, but in terms of nominal value, the overall buyback activity has not yet returned to the level seen in 2024. Data compiled by Goldman Sachs and released by Neil Sethi shows that the daily trading volume related to corporate buybacks is currently about 1.2 times the level seen in 2025, but only around 0.6 times the level seen in 2024. Goldman Sachs estimates that as of the end of this week, approximately 59% of companies listed in the S&P 500 Index will enter the stock buyback window period, a significant increase compared to the end of January. The data also shows that the number of companies exiting the buyback blackout period continues to increase, with around 40% of companies smoothly entering the buyback open window between mid-January and early February. Goldman Sachs states that historically, February has always been one of the most active months for stock buybacks in the U.S., ranking third in terms of buyback activity among all months of the year.