MetLife, Inc.

So these are the two main items. Now, you know, putting these items aside, we're also very pleased to see our business continues to deliver. As you may recall, last quarter I mentioned that our earnings growth continues to be supported by strong and resilient business fundamentals, which are driving solid top-line growth. And that sales momentum that began last year has continued this quarter as well. And this reflects really the strength, the resiliency, and the diversity of our distribution franchise across the region, combined with a noticeable flight to quality. And then this emphasis on quality is also evidenced by a very solid persistency across the region, which combined with the strong sales momentum that I mentioned, has resulted in a 26% growth year over year in PFOs, on a constant rate basis. Now, about half of that growth came from the SPIA business in Chile, where our market share has increased, but the market as well has grown over the past quarter. So, you know, that's in a nutshell the story for LATAM this quarter. I hope this helps.

Yes, thanks. And then my second question, you guys bought back $1.1 billion in the quarter, a pretty strong number. Was there any acceleration in buybacks just given the market weakness and an opportunity to buy your shares at a more attractive price? And can you just give us a sense of the outlook for future levels of share repurchase for the balance of the year?

Yeah, hi, good morning, Elise. This is Michel. So, yeah, as I noted in my opening comments, we had our foot on the gas pedal a little bit in the second quarter in particular. So, you know, expect a modest, a modestly slower pace, I would say, in the second half. Our overall view has not changed. Our philosophy, our approach have not changed. You know, we're still comfortable with the $3 billion to $4 billion cash buffer over time. We'll get back to that. So, you know, no change in approach here. It's just that there, you know, we had an acceleration in the first half, so it'll be modestly slower in the second.