during fiscal 2019 , what was the percent of the change in the cash provided by operations
liquidity the primary source of our liquidity is cash flow from operations . over the most recent two-year period , our operations have generated $ 5.6 billion in cash . a substantial portion of this operating cash flow has been returned to shareholders through share repurchases and dividends . we also use cash from operations to fund our capital expenditures and acquisitions . we typically use a combination of cash , notes payable , and long-term debt , and occasionally issue shares of stock , to finance significant acquisitions . as of may 26 , 2019 , we had $ 399 million of cash and cash equivalents held in foreign jurisdictions . as a result of the tcja , the historic undistributed earnings of our foreign subsidiaries were taxed in the u.s . via the one-time repatriation tax in fiscal 2018 . we have re-evaluated our assertion and have concluded that although earnings prior to fiscal 2018 will remain permanently reinvested , we will no longer make a permanent reinvestment assertion beginning with our fiscal 2018 earnings . as part of the accounting for the tcja , we recorded local country withholding taxes related to certain entities from which we began repatriating undistributed earnings and will continue to record local country withholding taxes on all future earnings . as a result of the transition tax , we may repatriate our cash and cash equivalents held by our foreign subsidiaries without such funds being subject to further u.s . income tax liability ( please see note 14 to the consolidated financial statements in item 8 of this report for additional information ) . cash flows from operations .

|  | Fiscal Year |
| :--- | :--- |
| In Millions | 2019 | 2018 |
| Net earnings, including earnings attributable to redeemable and noncontrollinginterests | $1,786.2 | $2,163.0 |
| Depreciation and amortization | 620.1 | 618.8 |
| After-taxearnings from joint ventures | (72.0) | (84.7) |
| Distributions of earnings from joint ventures | 86.7 | 113.2 |
| Stock-based compensation | 84.9 | 77.0 |
| Deferred income taxes | 93.5 | (504.3) |
| Pension and other postretirement benefit plan contributions | (28.8) | (31.8) |
| Pension and other postretirement benefit plan costs | 6.1 | 4.6 |
| Divestitures loss | 30.0 | - |
| Restructuring, impairment, and other exit costs | 235.7 | 126.0 |
| Changes in current assets and liabilities, excluding the effects of acquisitions anddivestitures | (7.5) | 542.1 |
| Other, net | (27.9) | (182.9) |
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $2,807.0 | $2,841.0 |

during fiscal 2019 , cash provided by operations was $ 2807 million compared to $ 2841 million in the same period last year . the $ 34 million decrease was primarily driven by a $ 377 million decrease in net earnings and a $ 550 million change in current assets and liabilities , partially offset by a $ 598 million change in deferred income taxes . the $ 550 million change in current assets and liabilities was primarily driven by a $ 413 million change in the timing of accounts payable , including the impact of longer payment terms implemented in prior fiscal years . the change in deferred income taxes was primarily related to the $ 638 million provisional benefit from revaluing our net u.s . deferred tax liabilities to reflect the new u.s . corporate tax rate as a result of the tcja in fiscal we strive to grow core working capital at or below the rate of growth in our net sales . for fiscal 2019 , core working capital decreased 34 percent , compared to a net sales increase of 7 percent . as of may 26 , 2019 , our core working capital balance totaled $ 385 million , down 34 percent versus last year , this is primarily driven by continued benefits from our payment terms extension program and lower inventory balances . in fiscal 2018 , core working capital decreased 27 percent , compared to a net sales increase of 1 percent. .

cash_provided_by_operations_2019 = 2807
cash_provided_by_operations_2018 = 2841
percent_change = (cash_provided_by_operations_2019 - cash_provided_by_operations_2018) / cash_provided_by_operations_2018
answer = percent_change * 100