U.S. Companies Sitting On $2 Trillion In Liquid Assets

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RENEE MONTAGNE, host:

A stash of corporate cash today tops NPR's business news.

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MONTAGNE: U.S. companies are sitting on nearly $2 trillion in cash and other liquid assets - that's according to The Wall Street Journal. It says companies haven't had so much cash as a proportion of their assets since 1959. Businesses are stockpiling cash because the weak economy has made them wary of hiring or investing in new facilities.

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