Capital stock

Within economics, the capital stock is generally understood as the collection of these produced assets held by an individual, company, or nation at a point in time. This stock comprises both tangible (physical capital) and intangible capital (non-physical capital). Consequently, because these assets are varied in form and function, this stock is inherently heterogeneous. Economists consider capital (often referring implicitly to the services provided by the capital stock) as a factor of production, alongside labor and land (or natural resources). This classification originated during the classical economics period and has remained the dominant method for classification.