What are the rules concerning a company purchasing their own stock in the open market during the 'quiet period' before major news announcements. I have read 100's of pages on the recent rule changes by the SEC but cannot find a definite answer to this question: is the company allowed to buy back stock in the 30 days preceding EPS announcements, etc. With so many companies propping up their share prices now the knowledge of when they can and cannot buy would be worthwhile to understand completely. Thanks in advance for the helpful replies.