S&P 500 Cash Balances and Debt Levels During the past 12 months, non-financial S&P 500 cash balances have declined by -11% and debt levels have inflected higher by +9%. Image: Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research
Shareholder Return vs. Free Cash Flow Thanks to low interest rates, shareholder return has exceeded free cash flow levels again. U.S. companies cannot spend more than they earn indefinitely. Image: Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research
Dividends and Buybacks vs. Free Cash Flow Dividends and buybacks have exceeded free cash flow levels again, thanks to low interest rates. But companies cannot spend more than they earn forever. Image: Capital Group
Cash in Circulation in Various Countries The use of cash has decreased significantly in Sweden. The first cashless society? Image: Nordea and Macrobond
Allocation to Cash and Recession Probability This chart shows the correlation between allocation to cash and the NY Fed 12-month ahead recession probability indicator. Image: Barclays Research
Cash Use vs. Internet Penetration Around the World Interesting correlation between the use of cash and the internet users as percentage of the population. Image: The Economist
S&P 500 Cash Return Yield by Sector and Region Currently, the S&P 500 cash return yield (buybacks + dividends) is 5.2%, the highest since 2011. That’s much more than Europe, Japan and emerging markets. Image: Fundstrat Global Advisors, LLC
Average Strategist Year-End S&P 500 Forecast Despite trade-related uncertainties, Wall Street’s leading firms remain confident in the S&P 500’s further gains through 2025, driven by strong corporate earnings, operational resilience, and accommodative monetary policy prospects. Image: Bloomberg
S&P 500 Buybacks Amid ongoing uncertainty, S&P 500 companies are repurchasing shares at record levels in 2025, demonstrating robust confidence in their capital planning and prioritizing shareholder value above cash conservation. Image: Deutsche Bank Asset Allocation
Money Market Fund Assets as a Percent of S&P 500 Market Capitalization Despite record levels of cash in money market funds, cash on the sidelines is not elevated relative to the S&P 500 market capitalization. In fact, the ratio of money market funds assets to S&P 500 market cap is near historic lows. Image: J.P.…
Money Market Fund Assets While the $7 trillion in money market funds is frequently cited as potential fuel for equities and risk assets, most evidence suggests this cash is primarily a result of yield optimization and prudent cash management. Image: Bloomberg