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But the company is poorer by the same amount as they spent on stocks, which if the stock price is correct should reduce earnings by the same amount, canceling out to no change in the stock price.

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Yes, the market cap of the company is lowered by the amount it spends on the buy back, however the value per share stays the same. A year later the profit from the new year is included in the market cap which is divided by a lowet number of shares. This means the value of a single share is now higher while the market cap is the same as in the beginning. Or am i missing something?

Yes you are, the company has given up a bunch of cash which could have been used to hire staff, buy capital and so on, so again if the stock price is correct they have decided to forego some profits due to the buyback, and it should cancel out.

Fair point.

> if the stock price is correct

The stock price is not correct, it is a cruel joke with very little connection to real economic activity.

My point exactly

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