physical

physical phys‧i‧cal [ˈfɪzɪkl] adjective

1. real and actual:

• the physical counting of goods in stock

2. ACCOUNTING related to assets that can be seen and touched, such as machines and buildings; = TANGIBLE:

• They had a physical plant valued at $3,455,050 and cash reserves of $729,886.

3. FINANCE involving shares, bonds etc where there are certificate S (= documents showing ownership), rather than shares etc where ownership is recorded on a computer:

• It's hard to imagine that many investors would prefer having physical certificates when a computer entry seems at least as reliable.

4. FINANCE involving Commodities (= oil, metals, farm products etc) for actual or immediate delivery, rather than futures (= contracts for delivery at a later date):

• Traders of agricultural futures contracts usually don't take physical delivery of the underlying commodity.

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physical UK US /ˈfɪzɪk^əl/ adjective

► relating to things you can see or touch: »

Payments for actual physical goods are not the only items involved in international trade.

► ACCOUNTING, FINANCE used to describe assets that can be seen and touched, for example buildings or equipment: »

Companies must raise capital for physical assets.

► FINANCE, STOCK MARKET used to describe commodities (= substances or products that can be traded) that can be bought and delivered immediately: »

physical commodities such as wheat, cotton, rice, and corn

► FINANCE, STOCK MARKET used to describe shares, bonds, etc. with a certificate , rather than ones that exist only in electronic form: »

If the investor is delivered physical shares, their value will be less than the initial investment.