STOCKS | U.S. Banks Set Record $33 Billion in Stock Buybacks in Q1 2026

According to Jin10, the Financial Times reports that major U.S. banks have invested a record $33 billion in stock buybacks during the first quarter of 2026, driven by profit growth and the Trump administration's relaxed regulatory policies. JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, and Citigroup executed their largest-ever stock buybacks, while Bank of America and Morgan Stanley saw their highest buyback levels in years. Chris Kotowski, a senior analyst at Oppenheimer & Co. who tracks large bank stocks, noted that the actual buyback amounts for each bank exceeded their model predictions by 30% to 50%. Additionally, the Trump administration is implementing the most significant deregulation of Wall Street since the 2008 financial crisis, allowing banks to allocate more resources to loans and shareholder returns rather than strengthening their capital buffers.