For the 100 largest public-employee pension systems in the country, cash and security holdings totaled $3,337. billion in the fourth quarter of 2014, just short of the all-time-high of $3,365.4 billion set in the second quarter of 2014. Compared to the same quarter 2013, assets for these major public pension systems increased 4.3 percent from $3,200.8 billion. This increase in assets is due to higher earnings, which increased from $5.8 billion in the third quarter of 2014 to $46.4 billion in the fourth quarter. Earnings experienced a year-to-year decrease from $167.4 billion in the fourth quarter of 2013.