Goldman Sachs Group strategists argued that a repatriation tax holiday could bolster buybacks by 30% in 2017, compared to a projected 5% rise without Trump’s backing.
“A significant portion of returning funds will be directed to buybacks based on the pattern of the tax holiday in 2004,” Chief U.S. Equity Strategist David Kostin, said in a note.
ETF investors who believe in a rise in share repurchases can look to ETFs that specifically target companies that implement buyback schemes, including the PowerShares Buyback Achievers Portfolio (NYSEArca: PKW) and the SPDR S&P 500 Buyback ETF (NYSEArca: SPYB). PKW includes a broader selection of U.S. companies that have effected a net reduction in shares outstanding by 5% or more in the trailing 12 months. SPYB, on the other hand, focuses on S&P 500 companies with the highest buyback ratio in the past 12 months.
Foreign markets are also experiencing record low or negative interest rates. Consequently, investors who believe other markets will follow the lead of the U.S. and engage in massive share repurchases could be good news for the PowerShares International BuyBack Achievers Portfolio (NYSEArca: IPKW), the international equivalent of the wildly popular PKW.
For more information on the buybacks strategy, visit our buybacks category.