<p>Since the year of 2000 it has been legal for companies in Sweden to repurchases their own stocks. The purpose of this study is to examine if it has been possible to make a positive abnormal return in Stockholmsbörsen by buying stocks in companies that has announced a buyback program. Our study includes 59 companies that have accomplished a buyback program throw the years of 2000 to 2006. To calculate the abnormal return we use the BHAR method with Affärsvärldens generalindex and branchindex as benchmarks. The result shows a significant positive abnormal return of 23,56 percent the first 12 month after the announcement with Affärsvärldens generalindex as benchmark. When the branchindex is used as benchmark the result shows a positive abnormal return of 10,96 percent under the first 12 month. Furthermore we consider that our result support the Underreactionhypothesis because the positive abnormal return has a tendency to grow exponential.</p>

Since the year of 2000 it has been legal for companies in Sweden to repurchases their own stocks. The purpose of this study is to examine if it has been possible to make a positive abnormal return in Stockholmsbörsen by buying stocks in companies that has announced a buyback program. Our study includes 59 companies that have accomplished a buyback program throw the years of 2000 to 2006. To calculate the abnormal return we use the BHAR method with Affärsvärldens generalindex and branchindex as benchmarks. The result shows a significant positive abnormal return of 23,56 percent the first 12 month after the announcement with Affärsvärldens generalindex as benchmark. When the branchindex is used as benchmark the result shows a positive abnormal return of 10,96 percent under the first 12 month. Furthermore we consider that our result support the Underreactionhypothesis because the positive abnormal return has a tendency to grow exponential.

This study addresses mandatory non-trading periods for Swedish stock market participants which have implemented an open-market share repurchase program during the period 2000 until 2010. By locating the date of publication of interim reports, these mandatory non-trading periods called silent periods are examined. The result indicates that repurchase trading activity occurs despite the statutory prohibition. By studying the price support hypothesis assumptions about long- and short-term effect on share price and performance, this study tries to explain these tendencies. An average decline of share price and performance is shown among companies entering silent periods. However, the price support effect is small and only occasionally significant; making it unlikely that open-market repurchase activity is driven by pricesupport decisions only. Consistent with claims that stock price affects the stock volatility, this study shows that different priced shares react differently to silent periods. Most of the repurchase programs where initiated during recessions in the early 2000s and year 2007, which confirms previous theories that repurchase program follows the cyclical changes of business economy.