U.S. corporations continue to accumulate cash, with the latest data showing that companies were holding $1.79 trillion at the end of last year, up from $1.77 trillion at the end of the third quarter. And it's not clear whether there's anything on the horizon that could encourage companies to start putting some of that money to use.

However, U.S. companies are not alone in holding sizable amounts of cash, since the trend is also clear among European companies, according to Anthony Carfang, a partner and director at consultancy Treasury Strategies.

"It's not as if a couple of corporate treasurers have said, 'Hey, let's hoard cash,'" Carfang said during a briefing last month. "Higher cash levels seem to be the way that companies are managing risk and uncertainty," he said.

Continue Reading for Free

Register and gain access to:

  • Thought leadership on regulatory changes, economic trends, corporate success stories, and tactical solutions for treasurers, CFOs, risk managers, controllers, and other finance professionals
  • Informative weekly newsletter featuring news, analysis, real-world cas studies, and other critical content
  • Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
  • Critical coverage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.

Susan Kelly

Susan Kelly is a business journalist who has written for Treasury & Risk, FierceCFO, Global Finance, Financial Week, Bridge News and The Bond Buyer.