The company is preparing to launch a Record wave of share repurchases Because executives are accustomed to spending extra cash after an amazing surplus season and a clearer understanding of the trajectory of the world economy.

According to data from Goldman Sachs, in the first four months of this year, U.S. companies announced that they had repurchased $484 billion, the highest level in at least two decades, and its analysts called it “repurchase monopoly.”

This number indicates that the pace of repurchase will be greatly accelerated. Since the coronavirus pandemic last year encouraged companies to accumulate cash to prevent a long-term recession, the pace of repurchase has begun to pick up.

Goldman Sachs predicts that by 2020, US company stock repurchases will increase by 35% this year.

Europe seems to be behind the United States in pace, but Société Générale predicts that continental European buybacks may exceed the pre-pandemic levels next year by about 25%.

Coronavirus digestion

• A kind Public inquiry enter United Kingdom Boris Johnson announced that the government will deal with Covid-19 within the next year.

• AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot endured Shareholder rebellion His potential bonus has increased substantially for the second consecutive year.

• we Employment data show Millions of unemployed After losing their jobs in the pandemic-but companies said they couldn’t find enough people to hire.

• Carpooling company Uber with elevator Will make all Travel to and from the U.S. vaccination location Provided free of charge in cooperation with the White House until July 4th.

• A large number of infections have forced Seychelles to Re-introduction of restrictionsAlthough more than 60% of the country’s population has received full vaccination.

• Ex-factory price China Ascend at the fastest speed In more than three years, it has been supported by the economic recovery. What is the commodity price super cycle? Found here. (“Financial Times”, “Wall Street Journal”)

Ben Hall believes that history will be more friendly The success of the EU vaccine. For many people, the pandemic has also affected people’s attitudes towards reproduction. Patti Waldmeir wrote. Follow our latest news Live blog, with Sign up For us Coronavirus business update Press releases are sent to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

In the news

The Queen sets the Prime Minister’s post-Covid agenda Queen overview More than 25 banknotes It constitutes the legislative pillar of Boris Johnson’s post-pandemic agenda after Brexit, but this section has caused controversy because it excludes measures including reforms to adult social care, workers’ rights and proposed amnesties for Northern Ireland .This is an In-depth analysis Proposed legislation.

Greenhill faces investigation by UK regulators The financial regulator is “Formal Investigation” Greensill Capital Documents released by the parliamentary committee show that David Cameron tried to lobby 56 times on behalf of the company last spring.The former prime minister is Due to oral evidence After receiving the barbecue notification at Lex Greensill yesterday, he will pay tribute to the Selection Committee of the Ministry of Finance tomorrow- Catch up here.

Coroner: “Innocent” victims of the Ballymurphy massacre The coroner ruled that the 10 people killed in a controversial shooting involving the British army in Belfast 50 years ago were “Completely innocent“, a line was drawn under one of the oldest surveys in Northern Ireland.

• In other Northern Ireland news: Brexit agreement in the region Will not be “sustainable in the long term” EU-UK Trade Relations Minister David Frost (David Frost) said that if it continues to develop in its current form.

Israel vowed to carry out more air strikes on Gaza Hamas and Israel maintained Deadly Barrage There was a rocket launch and an air strike on Tuesday night, and the UN special envoy warned that the conflict might evolve into a “full-scale war.” At least 5 people were killed in Israel and at least 35 people were killed in Gaza, including 10 children. During the holy month of Ramadan, Israel is endangering its security through extreme right-wing provocations. David Gardner wrote.

UK “upgrade” index According to the Legatum Institute, deteriorating health outcomes, an increase in violent crime, and the deterioration of local businesses are hurting Britain’s prosperity. Developed an index Tracking progress runs counter to the government’s broad goal of “upgrading.”

Billionaires support new $10 billion cryptocurrency exchange Peter Thiel, Louis Bacon and Alan Howard Among supporters As part of cryptocurrency asset trading, it will invest heavily in decentralized finance, which will fundamentally affect the trading and investment of digital assets.

Facebook faces German ban on WhatsApp data German regulator bans the social media company Process any data from WhatsApp users, Believes that the new terms of service for the messaging application are illegal under European privacy laws.

One day in the future

UK GDP The estimated gross domestic product for March and the first quarter is Go out today.January experienced a 2.2% slowdown due to lock-in (this number is better than expected), and the forecast for the quarter is Revised twice. (FT Yahoo)

Economic data The U.S. Department of Labor’s April Core Consumer Price Index will provide relevant Is the price pressure May pose a growing threat to economic recovery.The European Commission will present its own opinions Economic outlook, Is expected to be bullish.

EBay Financial Services E-commerce companies will Announced the launch Part of the “eBay Commercial Seller’s Capital” program, which will provide loans to British companies that sell products through its market.

Republican leader vote The three Republican members of the House of Representatives, Liz Cheney (Liz Cheney) are Expected to be ousted She later under the leadership of the party Rejected The campaign proposition of former U.S. President Donald Trump. (New York Times, FT)

income Japan’s SoftBank Group will announce a net profit of over US$45 billion in this fiscal year, becoming the world’s third most profitable company after Apple and Saudi Aramco. Nikkei learned. Commercial banks, Allianz, Bayer, Toyota Motor and ABN AMRO will also report. (Nikkei)

Reader Q&A: The application of artificial intelligence in businesses and the public sector is causing huge ethical differences. Financial Times reporters Madhumita Murgia and Kiran Stacey Will answer readers’ questions tomorrow.

What are we still reading

Can facial recognition detect emotions? Hundreds of companies around the world are working on emotion decoding algorithms to teach computers how to predict human behavior. This technology is a natural development of facial recognition. But for many scientists, There is very little evidence that it works.play this game See how the company wants to profit from your emotions.

Why haven’t UK house prices plummeted? If you want to know why house prices continue to soar after the sharp decline in the economy last year, you are not alone. Usually, these two are related. But since the pandemic began, there have been clear differences between them. Valentina Romei (Valentina Romei).

American Democracy’s Struggle for Survival Joe Biden (Joe Biden) strives for huge benefits: not only to ensure economic recovery after the pandemic or to restore the US’s position as an ally in the world, but also to protect the core of democracy-peaceful acceptance of election results Martin Wolf.

Dogecoin abandoned the cryptocurrency game Dogecoin was a joke from the beginning. However, although few people claim that this cryptocurrency will “democratize finance”, become a “global reserve currency” or fundamentally change the world, it has far exceeded Bitcoin since its creation in December 2013. Jemima Kelly studied why.

• One of the winners of Dogecoin: Aziz McMahon, Managing Director of Goldman Sachs in London give up After investing millions in Dogecoin. (“Financial Times”, “Guardian”)

Peloton’s tough game The digital fitness company is the winner of Covid-19: revenue increased by 141% in the first quarter and subscriptions more than doubled. However, stadiums have reopened in the UK and increased capacity in the US, while outdoor activities attract people, and competitors’ digital products are proliferating. Brooke Masters asked, What’s next for Peloton?

Podcast of the day

Can I borrow money to invest? Accountant Peter knows that in order to develop a business, he must bear debts. But can he apply the same logic to personal finance?He talked with Claer Barrett Explore the risks of using debt to increase assetsAnd the British “Financial Times” columnist Jason Butler and European economics commentator Martin Sandbu.