Cash and bank

Money in hand and at the bank on the balance sheet date.

Cash is the most immediate form of asset: money in hand, bank balances and deposits available on demand.

It is a snapshot on a single day of the year and therefore easy to flatter. Judge it against short-term liabilities, and across several years, rather than as a single figure.

Low cash is not necessarily a problem at a company with steady income. At a company with large short-term liabilities, it is.

Where this figure comes from

Read from the balance sheet in the annual accounts.