Discussion Paper

Corporate Cash Accumulation During the COVID-19 Pandemic


Abstract: Cash holdings of U.S. nonfinancial (publicly traded) corporations increased notably during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. As depicted in Figure 1, the median cash-to-assets ratio (black, solid line) – which remained near 12 percent in the years following the Great Financial Crisis (GFC) – surged to a historic high of over 20 percent in mid-2021.

https://doi.org/10.17016/2380-7172.3736

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Bibliographic Information

Provider: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.)

Part of Series: FEDS Notes

Publication Date: 2025-08-22

Number: 2025-08-22-2