Interest Rates Are at 20-Year Highs -- 5 Cash-Rich Stocks Getting Richer From the Trend

The federal funds rate has hovered near 0% most of the time since the Great Recession, making the cost of borrowing money almost free for many businesses. Entire business models were built around this perceived reality. Investors analyzed stocks based on this economic basis.

Then the interest rate environment began to change in early 2021. Over the course of the next two years, interest rates increased at one of the fastest rates in history, completely turning so many economic models on their heads. Cash was effectively free before, so holding on to it was almost considered a liability. But nowadays, it's undeniably an asset because of its potential to generate no-risk interest income.