Which one of the following statements is correct regarding large U.S. firms for the period 2004 to 2017?
A. Share repurchases tend to be steadier from year to year than are dividends.
B. Dividends decreased more than share repurchases during the period 2008 to 2009.
C. Both dividends and share repurchases were lower in 2017 than they were in 2004.
D. Corporate earnings tend to be more volatile than either dividends or repurchases.
E. Dividends outpaced share repurchases for the majority of the years during the period.