> Normally, companies that buy back their shares do so over time, to avoid the increased demand bidding up share price, thus raising the cost of buying them back. As the shares are bought back, the company then records the reduction in outstanding shares and the increase in cash payment. However, according to an article in The Globe and Mail (January 31, 2006, p. B13), Watch out for the loophole: buybacks have hidden costs (reproduced from The Wall Street Journal), many companies have engaged in "accelerated share repurchases. Under this tactic, firms recorded their total planned buyback all at once at their shares' current market price, even though they had not yet bought back the shares. This maximized the increase in current earnings per share. Would you, as a potential investor in firms using this tactic, be concerned? Why or why not? > Normally, companies that buy back their shares do so over time, to avoid the increased demand bidding up share price, thus raising the cost of buying them back. As the shares are bought back, the company then records the reduction in outstanding shares and the increase in cash payment. However, according to an article in The Globe and Mail (January 31, 2006, p. B13), Watch out for the loophole: buybacks have hidden costs (reproduced from The Wall Street Journal), many companies have engaged in "accelerated share repurchases. Under this tactic, firms recorded their total planned buyback all at once at their shares' current market price, even though they had not yet bought back the shares. This maximized the increase in current earnings per share. Would you, as a potential investor in firms using this tactic, be concerned? Why or why not