liquidity and capital resources we maintained a strong financial position throughout fiscal year 2019 . as of 30 september 2019 , our consolidated balance sheet included cash and cash items of $ 2248.7 . we continue to have consistent access to commercial paper markets , and cash flows from operating and financing activities are expected to meet liquidity needs for the foreseeable future . as of 30 september 2019 , we had $ 971.5 of foreign cash and cash items compared to a total amount of cash and cash items of $ 2248.7 . as a result of the tax act , we do not expect that a significant portion of our foreign subsidiaries' and affiliates' earnings will be subject to u.s . income tax upon subsequent repatriation to the united states . the repatriation of these earnings may be subject to foreign withholding and other taxes depending on the country in which the subsidiaries and affiliates reside . however , because we have significant current investment plans outside the u.s. , it is our intent to permanently reinvest the majority of our foreign cash and cash items that would be subject to additional taxes outside the u.s . refer to note 23 , income taxes , for additional information . the table below summarizes our cash flows from operating activities , investing activities , and financing activities from continuing operations as reflected on the consolidated statements of cash flows: .
what is the average cash provided by the operating activities during 2018 and 2019?
operating activities for the fiscal year ended 30 september 2019 , cash provided by operating activities was $ 2969.9 . income from continuing operations of $ 1760.0 was adjusted for items including depreciation and amortization , deferred income taxes , impacts from the tax act , a charge for the facility closure of one of our customers , undistributed earnings of unconsolidated affiliates , gain on sale of assets and investments , share-based compensation , noncurrent capital lease receivables , and certain other adjustments . the caption "gain on sale of assets and investments" includes a gain of $ 14.1 recognized on the disposition of our interest in high-tech gases ( beijing ) co. , ltd. , a previously held equity investment in our industrial gases 2013 asia segment . refer to note 7 , acquisitions , to the consolidated financial statements for additional information . the working capital accounts were a use of cash of $ 25.3 , primarily driven by $ 69.0 from trade receivables and $ 41.8 from payables and accrued liabilities , partially offset by $ 79.8 from other receivables . the use of cash within "payables and accrued liabilities" was primarily driven by a $ 48.9 decrease in accrued utilities and a $ 30.3 decrease in accrued interest , partially offset by a $ 51.6 increase in customer advances primarily related to sale of equipment activity . the decrease in accrued utilities was primarily driven by a contract modification to a tolling arrangement in india and lower utility costs in the industrial gases 2013 americas segment . the source of cash from other receivables of $ 79.8 was primarily due to the maturities of forward exchange contracts that hedged foreign currency exposures and the collection of value added taxes . for the fiscal year ended 30 september 2018 , cash provided by operating activities was $ 2547.2 , including income from continuing operations of $ 1455.6 . other adjustments of $ 131.6 include a $ 54.9 net impact from the remeasurement of intercompany transactions . the related hedging instruments that eliminate the earnings impact are included as a working capital adjustment in other receivables or payables and accrued liabilities . in addition , other adjustments were impacted by cash received from the early termination of a cross currency swap of $ 54.4 , as well as the excess of pension expense over pension contributions of $ 23.5 . the working capital accounts were a use of cash of $ 265.4 , primarily driven by payables and accrued liabilities , inventories , and trade receivables , partially offset by other receivables . the use of cash in payables and accrued liabilities of $ 277.7 includes a decrease in customer advances of $ 145.7 primarily related to sale of equipment activity and $ 67.1 for maturities of forward exchange contracts that hedged foreign currency exposures . the use of cash in inventories primarily resulted from the purchase of helium molecules . in addition , inventories reflect the noncash impact of our change in accounting for u.s . inventories from lifo to fifo . the source of cash from other receivables of $ 128.3 was primarily due to the maturities of forward exchange contracts that hedged foreign currency exposures. .