Companies are spending more money buying back their own stock than they ever have. These stock buybacks have come under criticism as a bad investment – the argument being that companies sitting on record amounts of cash ought to invest in innovation, salaries, or at least dividends, rather than pumping up their own stock price through buybacks.
Stock Buybacks Aren’t Hurting Innovation
Private R&D spending is actually increasing; it’s public investment that’s down.
March 31, 2015
![](/resources/images/article_assets/2015/03/MAR15_31_492692615.jpg)