The brutal recession has left many American families, small businesses and state and local governments in financial ruin or teetering on the brink.
But it's a much different story for the nation's biggest companies. Many have emerged from the economy's harrowing downturn loaded with cash, thanks to deep cost-cutting that helped drive unemployment into double digits.
And although the banking crisis starved countless entrepreneurs for money last year, credit was never scarce for business titans.
Corporate America's robust finances have been a boon for the companies' stocks: On Tuesday, the blue-chip Dow Jones industrial average hit its highest level in nearly 18 months, surging 102.94 points, or 1%, to 10,888.83.
Let's go to the data from the Flow of Funds statement.
Total financial assets increased for all of last year.
Time and savings deposits increased, as did
checkable deposits.
The only asset to show a decrease was money market funds, but given the low rate of return on those that should not be surprising.
