in the red

Idioms  

1. In debt, as in Joshua can't keep track of funds, so half the time his company is in the red. This expression alludes to the bookkeeping practice of marking debits in red ink and credits in black. It survives even in the age of computerized accounts. So does the antonym, in the black, for being financially solvent or out of debt, as in Bill was happy to say they were in the black. [Early 1900s]

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Example Sentences

As for the S&P 500’s 11 sectors, all but energy are in the red so far in March.

From MarketWatch

As for the S&P 500’s 11 sectors, all but energy are in the red so far in March.

From MarketWatch

All three major indexes were in the red Friday.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Chinese food-delivery giant continued to bleed from a brutal price war, posting a second straight quarter in the red.

From The Wall Street Journal

It was a second straight quarter in the red for the Chinese shopping-and-delivery platform, which swung to a loss in the third quarter for the first time in three years.

From The Wall Street Journal