Midway through the current earnings reporting period, companies have been delivering results exceeding market expectations. As we forge ahead, now is the right time to discuss which stocks to watch this week. A trend observed during this earnings season is the increase in stock buybacks, a strategy executives employ to goose stock prices. So far in 2024, the daily average value for announced buybacks has reached $6.9 billion, surpassing the prior 4-year average of$6.5 billion for the same period. Firms exp ...