# Common Annual Profits of Manufacturing Stock ## Definition The typical rate of return expected by those who invest capital in manufacturing enterprises, usually expressed as a percentage of the capital employed. This represents the standard profit margin in a given economic context. ## Source Chapter Book I, Chapter 6 ## Context Used by Smith to illustrate how profits relate to the amount of capital employed rather than to the labour of supervision. He provides a detailed example comparing two different manufacturing operations to demonstrate this principle. ## Economic Domain Distribution ---