Paper Title
Analysis and Explanations of Trend of Pay-Out Policies in the Usa Since the Financial Crisis

Abstract
This essay examines the pay-out policies of the US S&P 500 companies from 2009 to 2018, which witnessed a changing trend after the financial crisis. I find that dividends and stock repurchases overall have been increasingly popular among the US S&P500 firms while stock repurchase increased in a much steeper rate and amount. It has also been found that the amount of pay-out cash is directly related to the stock market performance and the excess cash is more likely to be paid through stock repurchase. In addition to the data researched, possible explanations for the changing trend are also considered. Keywords - Buybacks, Dividends, Popularity, Regression Tests