U.S. corporations announced $166 billion of stock repurchases in July, the highest dollar amount ever recorded for that month, according to market-research firm Birinyi Associates cited by Bloomberg. The figure surpasses the prior July peak of $88 billion set in 2006, is roughly triple the average for the same month during 2021-23, and more than doubles the total announced a year ago. Year-to-date, companies have unveiled $926 billion of planned buybacks, running $108 billion ahead of the pace that produced the previous full-year record in 2022.