For a firm that cannot raise external funds, cash on hand serves as precautionary saving. We derive a closed-form expression for the target level of cash on hand in the presence of persistent cash flows. Contrary to conventional wisdom, a mean-preserving increase in the volatility of cash flow...

We study the effects of permanent and temporary income shocks on precautionary saving and investment in a ""store-or-sow"" model of growth. High volatility of permanent shocks results in high precautionary saving in the safe asset and low investment, or a ""volatility trap."" Namely, big savers...