physicalphys·i·cal /ˈfɪzɪkəl/ adjectiveadj1real and actualthe physical counting of goods in stock
2ACCOUNTING related to assets that can be seen and touched, such as machines and buildingsSYN TANGIBLEThey had a physical plant valued at $3,455,050 and cash reserves of $729,886.
3FINANCE involving shares, bonds etc where there are CERTIFICATEs (=documents showing ownership), rather than shares etc where ownership is recorded on a computerIt’s hard to imagine that many investors would prefer having physical certificates when a computer entry seems at least as reliable.