We examine the determinants and implications of holdings of cash and marketable
securities by publicly traded U.S. "rms in the 1971}1994 period. In time-series and crosssection
tests, we "nd evidence supportive of a static tradeo! model of cash holdings. In
particular, "rms with strong growth opportunities and riskier cash #ows hold relatively
high ratios of cash to total non-cash assets. Firms that have the greatest access to the
capital markets, such as large "rms and those with high credit ratings, tend to hold lower
ratios of cash to total non-cash assets. At the same time, however, we "nd evidence that
"rms that do well tend to accumulate more cash than predicted by the static tradeo!
model where managers maximize shareholder wealth. There is little evidence that excess
cash has a large short-run impact on capital expenditures, acquisition spending, and
payouts to shareholders. The main reason that "rms experience large changes in excess
cash is the occurrence of operating losses. ( 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights