| has gloss | eng: In neoclassical economics, economic profit, or profit, is the difference between a firm's total revenue and its opportunity costs. In classical economics profit is the return to the employer of capital stock (machinery, factory, a plow) in any productive pursuit involving labor. These two definitions are actually the same. In both instances economic profit is the return to an entrepreneur or a group of entrepreneurs. Economic profit is thus contrasted with economic interest which is the return to an owner of capital stock or money or bonds. In finance or accounting, profit is the increase in wealth that an investor realizes from making an investment, taking into consideration all costs associated with that investment including the opportunity cost associated with other investments. |