paper profit

American  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of paper profit

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

By 1986, they had a paper profit of $850 million on their Disney stake.

From Washington Post • Sep. 28, 2015

He already has a massive paper profit on his 9.7 percent stake in Allergan, built over February and March.

From Reuters • Apr. 22, 2014

Mr. Badin conducted a flurry of trading in speculative securities the week before the announcement, producing a paper profit of $3.2 million – a 3,400 percent gain in only eight days.

From New York Times • Jun. 10, 2013

Warrants that Buffett negotiated as part of the deal give Berkshire a paper profit of more than $2 billion.

From BusinessWeek • Mar. 1, 2011

Teasing you along, letting you pile up a little paper profit, then bang!

From "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner