Capital expenditures refers to investments that businesses make in new equipment, buildings, and technology that they use to expand and improve existing operations.
There was an initial jump after the tax bill was passed, but it faded through 2018. It took a hit as lower oil prices and Trump's trade war with China injected uncertainty into the global economy.
The International Monetary Fund found in an analysis of Fortune 500 companies that only 20% of increased revenue was spent on capital expenditures — the other 80% went to investors through buybacks or dividends among other asset adjustments.
Usually, expectations of future growth drive increases in capital spending. The corporate outlook, though, hasn't improved and business investment declined through 2019 as companies wrestle with trade war uncertainty.