Apple is about to release quarterly earnings, and it's expected to announce a cash stockpile of more than 250 billion US dollars, which would be greater than the market value of Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer.
This unrivaled corporate hoard, without accounting for debt, will also surpass the foreign-exchange reserves of Canada and the UK combined.
However, 90 percent of this cash pile is currently outside the US, a fact which hasn't escaped the attention of US President Donald Trump, who has recently proposed cutting corporate taxes and imposing a one-time 10 percent tax on profits made by US companies overseas.
Apple fans waiting for a new Apple shop to open in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China March 25, 2017. China is one of Apple's largest international markets with many loyal fans since it first entered the country in 2008. / VCG Photo
Trump's proposed policy changes may prompt the tech giant to make large-scale acquisitions, or spare a bit more dividends to shareholders.
Apple's quarterly report will show that its cash reserves have doubled in just over four and a half years. In the fourth quarter of 2016, the company's cash increased by an average of about 3.6 million US dollars per hour.
As of the end of 2016, the company held total cash, cash equivalents and securities worth 246.09 billion US dollars.
Like many other corporations, Apple transfers most of that cash offshore rather than paying US taxes on its profits earned overseas.
