paper profit

noun

1. an unrealized profit due to the appreciation of something owned but not yet sold.

Word History and Origins

Origin of paper profit¹

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

Buyers in such cases can reap eye-popping one-day paper profits by restating their holdings back to the managers’ estimates.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

And when the stock inevitably pulled back, my paper profits shrank.

Read more on MarketWatch

They can actually not have paid the money back, but just have the paper profits and take profits on that.

Read more on The Verge

The shares have since fallen, but he’s still sitting on a paper profit of about $120 and doesn’t plan to sell.

Read more on New York Times

Like all the best fantasies, this contains just enough truth to be plausible: Some sharp investors did pull out right before the storm swept their paper profits away — though not many.

Read more on Washington Post