[ethbr1]

> If you take a piece of lumber and carve it into a dresser you've just generated wealth.

I'd make the note that you've converted raw materials and labor (and maybe some capital machinery/tools) into a finished good.

Whether the market will value that finished good at more than the sum of what you paid for its parts is a fair question though!

It's entirely possible to have net-unprofitable economic activities, especially in a bubble.