Goldman Drops 53%, Beats Analysts' Estimates

Giant brokerage writes off $2.1 billion, sees revenues fall 35%
By Jim O'Neill,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 18, 2008 7:54 AM CDT
Goldman Drops 53%, Beats Analysts' Estimates
The building on Broad Street in New York's Financial District that houses brokerage firm Goldman Sachs.   (AP Photo/Richard Drew, file)

Goldman Sachs today beat analysts' dire predictions even though it reported a 53% drop in first-quarter profits—the worst falloff since 1999—after a $2.1 billion writeoff, reports Bloomberg. Analysts had expected the Wall Street brokerage to see profits drop more than 60%. Goldman said net income was $1.51 billion, down from $3.2 billion a year earlier.

Per-share earnings were $3.23, compared to $6.67 in the first quarter last year, as net revenue dropped 35% to $8.34 billion from $12.73 billion, Goldman said. Although the company has seen its stock price slip 30% this year as investor confidence in the financial industry has waned, Goldman has had minimal exposure to the subprime crisis. (More Goldman Sachs stories.)

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