A cautiously optimistic business outlook continues to shape organizations' cash and short-term investment decisions, according to the 2013 AFP Liquidity Survey.

Key survey findings:

• 74% of organizations' short-term balances are maintained in one of three traditionally ultra-safe investment vehicles: bank deposits, money market funds and U.S. Treasury securities
• 65% of organizations' short-term investments held in vehicles that mature in 30 days or less
• 36% of organizations that decreased cash balances in the past 12 months did so in order to acquire a company or launch new operations
• 2.7 is the average number of vehicles organizations currently use for short-term investments.