BUSINESS

President Volodymyr Zelensky’s ouster of his longtime tech wizard, Mykhailo Fedorov, as defense minister could halt Ukraine’s striking rise in drone and robotic warfare.

Looking for help with today’s New York Times Pips? We’ll walk you through today’s puzzle and help you match dominoes to tiles.

Nearly 39 million viewers watched Fox’s English-language presentation of the World Cup final on Sunday, making it the most-watched soccer broadcast in U.S. TV history.

Analysts had said discounts offered by the Trump-promoted stations were unrealistic.

Bestselling personal finance author and radio host Dave Ramsey frequently cautions listeners that draining 401(k) and IRA savings to resolve family money troubles jeopardizes long-term retirement security. When personal money habits lead to severe consequences, funding an ongoing deficit without behavioral changes often enables further financial distress. Addressing a daughter facing pressure to hand over part of her inheritance to her father, Dave Ramsey warned that boundary-free financial assistance creates destructive family dynamics that threaten personal retirement plans.Refusing to condone hidden financial pressure, Ramsey advised the caller to confront the secretive nature of the requests.”Your father is being manipulative; he’s acting like a travel agent for guilt trips,” wrote Dave Ramsey in an email sent to TheStreet from Ramsey Solutions.Dave Ramsey confronts private financial pressureIntergenerational financial strain remains a widespread threat to household retirement accounts across the country. A nationwide survey conducted by the Pew Research Center revealed that personal money transfers within families frequently create underlying emotional and financial stress that impacts long-term savings. And research published by the Brookings Institution demonstrates that informal family loans rarely feature clear repayment terms, leading to significant wealth erosion for the lender’s retirement portfolio.To prevent manipulative behavior, Ramsey emphasized that all discussions regarding financial aid must occur openly with both spouses and family members present.”There should be no more private meetings with your father, either; the next time he calls, you need to make sure he understands a meeting will only happen if your husband and mother are present,” stated Dave Ramsey.Setting strict limits on family financial assistanceUncontrolled financial support can quietly compromise a household’s long-term retirement trajectory. When adult children redirect cash flow away from 401(k) and IRA contributions toward ongoing family bailouts, their compound growth takes an immediate hit. Establishing hard limits protects primary family budgets while encouraging struggling relatives to address underlying money habits.Detailing the necessary boundaries for any monetary support, Ramsey outlined strict conditions for giving money to parents.”Any financial help you give needs to have limits; no loans, either—make it a gift,” wrote Dave Ramsey.Adult children confront intergenerational wealth dragBalancing family obligations with personal 401(k) and IRA growth requires clear household rules. Providing ongoing monthly stipends without budget accountability often traps both parties in a cycle of dependency. Households must establish agreed-upon giving limits to safeguard their own financial future.Financial planners emphasize that personal retirement security must take priority over discretionary family support. Adult children facing persistent financial demands from relatives must evaluate the long-term impact on their IRA and 401(k) balances. Understanding how recurring cash gifts reduce compound investment growth helps families make informed, boundary-driven decisions.More on personal finance:Charles Schwab, Fidelity alert workers to forced 401(k) ruleDave Ramsey warns Americans on 401(k)s, IRAs (he’s not wrong)Congress research arm warns Americans on 401(k), IRA penaltyHighlighting the necessity of establishing clear boundaries when balancing competing family demands, Charles Schwab outlined how structured financial rules protect core retirement savings.”Not all goals are created equal, and a plan can help you prioritize your savings when confronting multiple objectives,” wrote Rob Williams, managing director of financial planning, retirement income, and wealth management at the Schwab Center for Financial Research.

Dave Ramsey explains the emotionally fraught subject of how helping family members financially can hurt one’s 401(k) and IRA retirement savings.Shutterstock

Family bailout math on 401(k)s, IRAsTo evaluate how supporting parents financially impacts a household’s 401(k) and IRA retirement savings, I calculated these financial models comparing a baseline investment strategy against an ongoing family support scenario over a 15-year horizon.To map this out, let’s look at a typical household with $500 a month in flexible cash flow set aside for retirement investing. We will assume an initial 401(k) or IRA balance of $50,000 earning a standard 7.0% annualized compound return, comparing a scenario where all funds are invested against one where $300 per month is redirected to support aging parents over a 15-year period.Scenario A: Full $500 monthly 401(k) retirement investment modelInitial retirement account balance: $50,000Monthly retirement contribution: $500 ($6,000 annually)Annualized investment growth rate: 7.0% compounded annuallyTotal personal contributions over 15 years: $90,000Year 15 final retirement portfolio value: $297,162Scenario B: Redirected $300 monthly parent financial support modelInitial retirement account balance: $50,000Reduced monthly retirement contribution: $200 ($2,400 annually)Monthly financial gift to parents: $300 ($3,600 annually)Annualized investment growth rate: 7.0% compounded annuallyTotal personal retirement contributions over 15 years: $36,000Total financial gifts paid to parents over 15 years: $54,000Year 15 final retirement portfolio value: $202,328Net retirement wealth loss relative to baseline scenario: $94,834
(Source: Jeffrey Quiggle, TheStreet)
Family financial gifts drag on 401(k) retirement savingsFinancial modeling proves that providing ongoing monthly support to relatives significantly erodes personal wealth over time. Redirecting $300 per month away from a 401(k) or IRA to assist family members does not just cost $54,000 in direct out-of-pocket cash — it eliminates over $40,000 in lost compound growth, reducing total retirement wealth by nearly $95,000 over 15 years.Establishing strict, capped boundaries on family financial support is essential to protecting long-term retirement security.This article is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Investments carry inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future financial results.Related: Dave Ramsey, Fidelity deliver key alert on Medicare, 401(k), IRA

Younger generations trying to buy homes have been bitter toward baby boomers for years.Why? Some claim boomers have fought to stop new-home construction due to their NIMBY (not-in-my-back-yard) attitudes. Others are angry that the generation of homeowners refinanced into lower mortgage rates during the Covid pandemic and now refuse to sell.These sorts of issues result in less inventory, which leads to higher costs for homebuyers. Costs that many younger, first-time buyers can’t afford.In some instances, the anger toward the baby boomer generation is justified. In others, it overlooks nuance. Regardless, younger would-be homebuyers are not happy with boomers.And now first-time homebuyers have another grievance to add to their list. Baby boomers are also the generation buying up the most homes in the current market. They make up 42% of homebuyers, according to the National Association of Realtors.Stopping homes from being built. Refusing to sell homes. And now snatching up homes that Millennial or Gen Z buyers want. That’s quite a doozy.So, why and how are baby boomers buying more properties than any other generation?Baby boomer buyers have 1 key advantage over younger generationsThe National Association of Realtors published its 2026 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report, where it categorized baby boomers as those aged 61-79.The report showed that older Millennials (ages 36-45) have the highest median household income of any generation of homebuyers. But boomers still made up the largest share of buyers at 42%.Even with Millennials earning the most of any generation, boomers continue to buy the most houses. This is one factor making it hard for first-time homebuyers to literally get their foot in the door.Millennials may have income, but baby boomers have something even more powerful when it comes to buying a house: equity.Related: New Redfin data shows housing market is changing fast”Baby Boomers are at a point in life when they have the flexibility to move, often with housing equity to help purchase their next home,” said Jessica Lautz, deputy chief economist at the NAR.Many boomers bought homes decades ago — meanwhile, home values have soared.The national average sales price of a house was $514,600 in Q1 2026, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. That’s more than a 30% increase over the last 10 years, 40% in the last 20 years, and 68% over the past 30 years.With that equity, baby boomers can stay in their homes — meaning they don’t provide other buyers with a possible home to buy — and take out a home equity loan or line of credit.Then, they may use the funds from the HEL or HELOC to buy a second home or investment property. The NAR study found that 6% of baby boomers owned vacation homes.A more common way for boomers to use that equity is to make all-cash offers on houses. The NAR said 39% of younger boomers (ages 61-70) are paying in cash for their homes, and 46% of older boomers (ages 71-79) are making all-cash offers.Paying in cash makes it more financially savvy for baby boomers to move, because they don’t have to worry about taking on a mortgage loan with a higher interest rate.It also makes it harder for younger, first-time homebuyers who haven’t built up equity yet and can’t afford to pay in cash. Many sellers prefer all-cash offers, so it’s difficult to compete with one if you need a mortgage to afford a home.This is one reason why the share of first-time homebuyers is at 21% — a record low.

Baby boomers make up the largest portion of homebuyers at 42%.FG Trade Latin / Getty Images

Boomers are both downsizing and upsizingHome equity and all-cash offers — these are financial reasons baby boomers are buying up more housing. But it’s not just that they’re buying more homes. It’s also that they’re buying more types of homes.”Today, many Baby Boomers are embracing choice and moving to be closer to friends and family, to downsize, or to retire and enjoy a work-free lifestyle,” Lautz said.It makes sense that boomers would want to downsize as they grow older. It’s easier to age in place when your house requires less cleaning and maintenance, especially if it doesn’t have stairs.This does inevitably work against first-time homebuyers, though.When I bought my first home a few years ago, I was primarily looking at single-level houses. But it was a tough experience.My real estate agent explained that smaller homes were often the most competitive, because they appealed to two major groups: first-time homebuyers who didn’t need a lot of space and older people who wanted to downsize.(Humble brag: I ended up successfully buying a single-level house.)OK, Baby Boomers downsizing — we probably all expected that, right? But now Boomers are hitting us with a double whammy.More on Buying a House:Why mortgage rates are spiking again and what to doHomebuyers lose ground as housing affordability slams shutRedfin reveals change in housing market, home salesNot only are plenty of older buyers downsizing, but many are also defying expectations and buying bigger homes. This home-buying trend is particularly strong among wealthier boomers, according to The Wall Street Journal.”Well-off boomers are increasingly upsizing their homes as they age, either buying bigger ones or financing additions to their existing properties,” Rachel Louise Ensign writes for WSJ. “They are building guesthouses for family members and gourmet kitchens for entertaining, alongside such features as high-end grab bars and first-floor primary bedrooms for aging in place.””The new demand for even bigger properties is another way boomers dominate the housing market,” she continues.Small houses, large houses — if you’re a first-time homebuyer, good luck buying either one.It’s not impossible to get a house in this market, though. You just need to be strategic in finding ways to compete with all-cash offers and more competition from Baby Boomer buyers.How to compete with boomer homebuyersBuy a fixer-upper. It’s becoming less popular overall to buy homes that need extra TLC, according to Keller Williams. Boomers’ main reason for staying away from fixer-uppers is that they don’t have the time or motivation to dive into huge maintenance projects. Buying a fixer-upper could help you avoid competition with boomer buyers.Consider homes with stairs. More baby boomers are buying large houses than in the past. So looking at multi-level homes doesn’t necessarily rule them out as competition. But plenty of boomers are still downsizing or may even buy houses that are large but just one story. Focusing on houses with stairs could help your chances.Get creative with your offer. So baby boomers have all-cash offers or higher down payments? Find other ways to make your offer competitive. Consider waiving contingencies, such as the appraisal or inspection contingency, to make the seller’s life easier. These tactics are risky, though, so discuss the pros and cons with your real estate agent.Use an experienced Realtor. Choose an agent who understands your local housing market and can help you craft a competitive offer. When the housing market is tough, a savvy Realtor is one of your best tools.Related: Why first-time homebuyers face a stacked deck right now

HBO’s The Pitt has earned 25 Emmy nominations this year for its second season, leading all programs for the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards. Among the nominated actors is Tal Anderson, who plays Becca King. Anderson’s portrayal earned her, her first Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series category for the episode “5:00 P.M.”​

There are only a handful of remaining moments when the whole planet agrees to look at the same thing at the same time. Everything else has been sliced into a thousand feeds, each of us watching something slightly different, alone together.Live sports are the last reliable exception, and the money knows it. A game cannot be paused, skipped, or spoiled without losing the thing that makes it worth watching in the first place.That scarcity turned broadcast rights into one of the most inflation-proof assets in media. Leagues keep stretching their schedules, and networks keep paying more.For most of the past decade, the American leagues set that ceiling. Season-long packages, dozens of games every week, months of inventory to sell.The working assumption was that no single tournament, crammed into one summer and then gone for four years, could out-earn a sport that shows up every Sunday from September to February.That assumption died on Sunday, July 19, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in extra time on a Ferran Torres goal, and the trophy went to Madrid.The bigger prize went to the organization that staged the thing. FIFA is “poised to net over $9 billion in revenue for 2026,” according to CNBC, citing the governing body’s own estimates. That makes the 2026 World Cup the most lucrative sporting event in history.How FIFA turned 48 teams into a record paydayThe mechanics are less mysterious than the number suggests. FIFA went from 32 teams to 48, which took the tournament from 64 matches to 104 and stretched it from four weeks to six.More matches mean more broadcast windows, more gates, more sponsor activations, and more hotel nights. Sixteen host cities across the United States, Canada, and Mexico gave advertisers a genuinely continental audience for the first time.I ran the tournament figure against FIFA’s own published budget, and the gap is the story. FIFA had penciled in an entire four-year cycle worth roughly $11 billion. One summer delivered most of it.Here is how the money stacked up:FIFA budgeted USD 11,000 million in revenue for the 2023-2026 cycle, calling it “a substantial increase in revenue of USD 4,560 million” over the prior cycle, according to FIFA.Member associations have already been told the actual cycle figure lands closer to $15 billion, The Guardian reported.The 2026 calendar year alone accounts for more than $9 billion of that total, CNBC noted.FIFA takes 15% of the fee from the seller and 15% from the buyer on every secondary-market ticket, according to Sports Illustrated.FIFA plans to distribute $2.7 billion to its 211 member associations between 2027 and 2030, CNBC confirmed.

FIFA’s expanded 48-team World Cup delivered a record $9 billion, paid largely by fans.Marcelo Endelli / Getty Images

What the $9 billion World Cup number actually countsThis is where reporting gets slippery, and it is worth slowing down. The $9 billion is a calendar-year net revenue estimate for 2026, produced by FIFA, not an audited tournament-only figure signed off by anyone outside the building.The four-year number is messier still. MarketScale noted that the full 2023-2026 cycle totals close to $13 billion. Reporting relayed by Sports Illustrated puts what FIFA told its own members nearer to $15 billion.More Entertainment:FIFA World Cup spending surge reveals major customer divideThe World Cup may be about to get a lot biggerWhy brands are spending billions on 2026 FIFA World CupBoth cannot be right, and my analysis says the spread is the most interesting thing on the page. A $2 billion disagreement about a nonprofit’s income is not a rounding error. It is a signal that the final accounting has not been settled, and that the number quoted this week may move again.Treat the $9 billion as directionally solid and precisely soft. That distinction matters if you are a host city that borrowed against a projection.It’s worth knowing where almost none of it goes. FIFA approved a record $727 million contribution to all 48 participating teams, including a $655 million prize pool, according to Field Level Media. Spain’s title is worth $50 million of that.I put those two figures side by side, and the ratio is the part nobody puts in a press release. The entire payout to every team that showed up amounts to roughly 8% of what the organization expects to collect this year.FIFA is a Swiss nonprofit, so the surplus does not go to shareholders. It goes back out to the 211 member associations that also happen to vote on who runs the place. Analyst Kieran Maguire made exactly that point to CNBC, noting that money flowing to small federations tends to flow back as electoral support.Why World Cup ticket prices did the heavy liftingThe uncomfortable part of this record is who paid for it. Broadcast rights were always going to grow with 40 extra matches. The surprise came from the turnstiles.Ticket prices ran from $60 at the low end to more than $10,000 at the top, with the average entry above $900. Resale was the accelerant, and FIFA collects on both sides of every resale transaction.Seats on FIFA’s own last-minute portal hit $32,000 apiece before the platform went dark on Saturday, July 18, before the final, according to Sports Illustrated. Listings on the official resale platform ran into the millions.Related: FIFA World Cup brings costly surprise for US commutersThe tournament also gave fans plenty to be annoyed about. A first-ever World Cup halftime show stretched the break past 27 minutes and drew open criticism from broadcasters and supporters, CNBC reported. Commercially sponsored hydration breaks became a controversy of their own, as Sports Illustrated noted.None of it dented demand. That is the finding, and it is the one every ticketing executive in North America wrote down.That money did not appear from nowhere. It came out of household budgets in 16 cities, and the residual is still visible. More than three-quarters of host city residents said local prices climbed during the tournament, according to a CardRates.com survey reported by TheStreet.Commuters in New Jersey got hit with a $150 special stadium fare on a route that normally costs a fraction of that. Retailers, meanwhile, spent the spring racing to sell World Cup merchandise into the same wallets.What FIFA’s record means for the next 4 yearsHere is the part that should interest anyone who does not care about soccer at all. FIFA just proved that a live event can extract roughly $86 million per match from a single population without meaningful resistance.Group-stage occupancy still ran near 99%. Demand did not break at $900, and FIFA now has four years of evidence that it was underpricing.Every league, promoter, and venue operator on the continent watched that happen. The lesson had nothing to do with soccer. It was about how much headroom sits above the price you are currently charging for a seat.Dynamic pricing has already crept into concerts, theme parks, and airline seats. What changed this summer is the ceiling, because a $32,000 face value cleared the market instead of collapsing it.FIFA president Gianni Infantino has already floated expanding the 2030 tournament to 64 teams, CNBC reported.The trophy went to Spain. The pricing model went everywhere else, and it will be waiting the next time you try to take your kid to a game.Related: Why the 2026 FIFA World Cup is a billion-dollar retail boom

For investors who owned artificial intelligence stocks over the past three years, their portfolio has probably done well. But one of Wall Street’s most influential banks is now flagging a risk to the AI-heavy positioning that has dominated portfolios.Goldman Sachs released a research note identifying three investment themes that are entirely outside the AI trade.The data behind each one suggests that investors focused on the semiconductor complex have missed performance in other parts of the market, according to Goldman’s research.The note, led by Chief U.S. Equity Strategist & Managing Director at Goldman, Ben Snider, argues that a meaningful rotation is already underway.Goldman Sachs identifies experience-economy stocks as a stealth winnerThe first theme centers on companies tied to physical consumer experiences, and the spending acceleration is striking.Consumer spending on experiences grew 6% year over year in the first quarter of 2026, compared with 2% growth in broader services spending, the Goldman Sachs report found.Goldman screened 36 stocks across movies and entertainment, casinos and gaming, hotels, resorts, cruise lines, and leisure facilities. The equal-weighted group has returned 17% year to date, outperforming the equal-weight Consumer Discretionary sector by 17 percentage points.Related: Goldman Sachs does an about-face on overlooked software stockBen Snider, chief U.S. equity strategist, says real-world experience companies look appealing given enduring appetite and modest pricing.”The combination of strong secular demand and undemanding valuations makes companies offering physical consumer experiences an attractive investment theme,” said Snider.”The combination of strong secular demand and undemanding valuations makes companies offering physical consumer experiences an attractive investment theme,” Snider wrote in the report.Broader research reinforces that shift in consumer behavior. Between 2023 and 2025, the global experiences market grew at 2.6% while nonessential goods expanded at just 0.8%, a McKinsey report published in June found.Goldman’s “compounder” basket trades at near-record discounts despite faster earnings growthThe second theme may be the most counterintuitive, because these 15 companies have been executing well and still getting punished. Goldman screened for Russell 1000 stocks ranking above the index median across earnings growth, free cash flow conversion, and return on capital. The median compounder has grown earnings per share more than twice as fast as the S&P 500 median over three years. Yet despite that superior profit growth, the group has underperformed the equal-weight S&P 500 by seven percentage points year to date. More Goldman Sachs:Goldman Sachs doubles down on Robinhood stock after record trading surgeGoldman Sachs doubles down on stock market outlook for 2026Goldman Sachs spots stock market’s next winnersThe median compounder trades at 22 times forward earnings versus 16 times for the equal-weight index, Goldman’s data confirmed.  That 37% premium ranks in the 13th percentile since 2016, suggesting valuations are historically cheap relative to earnings quality. The list includes Visa, Mastercard, Booking Holdings, DexCom, Insulet, MSCI, and On Holding, among others, the report showed. Goldman’s thesis is that this gap between earnings delivery and stock performance may narrow as the AI momentum trade cools.

Goldman’s overlooked compounders combine strong earnings growth with historically attractive valuations.Bloomberg/Getty Images

Goldman Sachs flags record volatility in the AI momentum tradeThe catalyst behind this entire rotation call is what has happened to the AI momentum trade in recent weeks.Goldman’s proprietary Momentum factor recorded annualized three-month volatility of 36%, the highest reading in its 45-year history outside of recessions. The factor moved by more than 2% on four of five trading days in the week ending July 17, the report confirmed.Record-low stock correlations have masked the turbulence at the index level, however. The three-month implied average stock correlation across the S&P 500 fell to 0.14, a record low, the report showed.The ten largest S&P 500 companies now account for more than 40% of the index’s total market cap, BlackRock confirmed in its 2026 outlook. BlackRock’s outlook notes that index-fund exposure now carries a materially higher concentration in the largest technology names than it did a decade ago.Goldman’s 3rd non-AI theme rides a record wave of dealmakingGoldman’s final theme targets potential mergers and acquisitions candidates, and the timing aligns with a historic surge in deal activity.Announced U.S. mergers and acquisitions activity has totaled $1.2 trillion year to date, a 32% increase year over year, the Goldman report confirmed. The number of announced deals has risen 12%, with 40% concentrated in computers and electronics and in health care.Goldman equity analysts flagged 71 stocks as potential acquisition targets in the report. That basket has beaten the equal-weight S&P 1500 by eight percentage points since the first quarter ended. Yet valuations for most candidates show limited sign of an elevated premium, the report noted.What Goldman’s non-AI call signals for the broader market in 2026Goldman has not abandoned its bullish stance on AI, and the bank’s year-end S&P 500 target of 8,000 still reflects substantial AI-driven earnings growth. The firm projects earnings per share growth of 24% for the full index in 2026.But the message to investors is that the next leg of returns may not come from the same place as the last one.Gargi Pal Chaudhuri, BlackRock’s chief investment and portfolio strategist for the Americas, made a similar case in the firm’s 2026 outlook. She noted that AI’s dominance introduces concentration and correlation risks, which argues for targeted diversification across sectors.The Goldman research highlights an emerging dynamic: proven growth companies are trading below their historical averages at the same time that Wall Street’s most crowded trade faces growing turbulence.Related: Goldman Sachs doubles down on Applied Materials stock target

Sandisk went public in February 2025, and just over a year later, the flash memory storage maker’s board of directors approved a plan to buy back shares. The repurchase comes as the company’s shares reached record highs well above its IPO price.Here’s what current and prospective Sandisk investors should know about the company’s stock buyback programs. When did Sandisk announce its stock buyback plan? Sandisk announced its first share repurchase program on April 30, 2026. The company’s board of directors approved a plan to buy back $6 billion in shares, which, as of this article’s last update, amounted to around 3% of the company’s total market capitalization. This is Sandisk’s only repurchase program since it became an independent company after being spun off from Western Digital. Its initial public offering and subsequent listing on the Nasdaq Stock Market occurred on February 24, 2025.Has Sandisk actually repurchased any shares yet? As of this article’s last update, Sandisk has not announced any actual share repurchases since it announced its stock buyback program. Stock buybacks are typically listed in a company’s quarterly (10-Q) and annual (10-K) filings with the SEC. None were disclosed in Sandisk’s May 10-Q disclosure. The company’s next 10-Q filing is expected on August 5, 2026, when Sandisk reports its quarterly earnings. If the company has repurchased any shares since May 1, investors will find out then. Related: Does Sandisk pay dividends? Will it split its stock?Sandisk’s secondary share salesBefore Sandisk’s stock buyback announcement, it underwent two separate secondary offerings, in which the shares issued reduced Western Digital’s stake. In June 2025, the company announced the sale of 18.5 million shares at $38.50 each, which was the same price as its IPO. Next, in February 2026, it sold 5.8 million shares at $545 each.How does Sandisk decide when to buy back its stock?Sandisk said that the amount and timing of share buybacks “will depend on market conditions and other relevant factors.” At the same time, the company said it may suspend or halt the repurchase program at any moment, and it isn’t obligated to buy back any common shares.More on stock repurchases:Meta’s stock buybacks: How the company’s AI spending could affect shareholder returnsOracle’s stock buybacks: History & investor impact explainedMicron Technology’s stock buybacks explainedHow will Sandisk fund its stock buybacks?Sandisk said it expects shares repurchased under the plan to be funded by operating cash flows. As of April 3, 2026, it had $4.5 billion in cash from its operations. How has Sandisk’s stock performed?Since its IPO in February 2025, Sandisk’s stock gained 36-fold through July 20, 2026, when it closed at $1,390.95. The stock closed at a record high of $2,335 on June 25, 2026. That indicated the stock was trading above the price when Sandisk announced its share buyback plan on April 30, 2026, when it closed at $1,096.51. 

Sandisk stock data compiled by Google Finance via Google Sheets

Related: AMD’s stock buybacks explained: History, balance & outlook