Standard & Poor's, the world's leading index provider, announced that preliminary S&P 500 stock buyback activity for 2007 was a record $589 billion, easily surpassing 2007 cash dividends of $246 billion and slightly larger than 2007 As Reported GAAP earnings of $587 billion. The $589 billion in share repurchases represents a 36.4% increase over the $432 billion spent in 2006, and a 350% increase from the $131 billion recorded five years ago in 2003.