Much has been made of the amount of cash sitting on the balance sheets of US corporations.

As of last December, the 1,100 nonfinancial U.S. companies rated by Moody’s were collectively sitting on record gross cash balances of $1.24 trillion,  and estimates are that the total figure is closer to $2 trillion.

And while economists and politicians may argue that spending that money on job creation could fuel economic recovery, CFOs view the cash as a strategic asset that they must wield wisely.

Besides, the cash is not just sitting there. It is working to create shareholder value (albeit slowly) and as a hedge against an economic situation that may change in a nanosecond.

In their roles as stewards, CFOs are charged not only with maintaining levels of liquidity that are in the best interest of the company, but also with adjusting those levels in response to the larger economic environment and the capital needs of the corporation.

In this issue of CFO Insights, we’ll look at the choices U.S. CFOs make with their cash and ask whether there are more high-quality choices. In addition, we will explore the possibilities — for both U.S. and global CFOs — that would exist if U.S.-based instruments were suddenly not the safe haven they have always been.

Download the full CFO Insights article, Cash matters., below to learn more:

www.deloitte.com/assets/Dcom-UnitedStates/Local%20Assets/Documents/CFO_Center_FT/us_cfo_CFO-Insights_cashmatters_052312.pdf