In the third quarter of 2023, buybacks from S&P 500 (^GSPC) companies totaled more than $185 billion, an increase of 6.1% quarter-over-quarter, but a 12% decrease year-over-year. With economic headwinds leading to uncertainty, how does the state of buybacks play out in 2024? Howard Silverblatt, S&P Dow Jones Indices Senior Index Analyst, joins Yahoo Finance to discuss the outlook for stock buybacks in 2024. Silverblatt expounds upon which companies will be able to attempt buybacks. "We think financials may be pulling back a little bit. There's new regulators in there. They are protecting their dividends the way they did in 2022. We also see that I.T. will continue," Silverblatt says. "The company with strong cash flow, they are definitely going to be continuing at this point, and we expect to see strong buybacks with them as well as the impact for the EPS but the rank and file shares in the S&P 500, not as much so. So, it's going to be selective based on your cash flow and products. " For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Yahoo Finance Live.