Dec. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Goldman Sachs Group Inc., which took $10 billion in U.S. bailout funds last year, shouldn’t get taxpayer support if the firm focuses on trading over banking, according to former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker.
The “safety net” provided by the U.S. government “should not be extended beyond the core commercial-banking business,” Volcker, 82, said in an interview yesterday at Deutsche Bank AG’s Berlin office, where he was attending a conference. “They can do trading and do anything they want, but then they shouldn’t have access to the safety net.”
Goldman Sachs, the most profitable investment bank in Wall Street history, has reaped more than 90 percent of its pretax earnings this year from trading and so-called principal investments, which include market bets on securities and stakes in companies. The other 10 percent came from advising clients on takeovers and capital-raising and from asset management, which includes managing hedge funds and buyout funds.
The “safety net” provided by the U.S. government “should not be extended beyond the core commercial-banking business,” Volcker, 82, said in an interview yesterday at Deutsche Bank AG’s Berlin office, where he was attending a conference. “They can do trading and do anything they want, but then they shouldn’t have access to the safety net.”
Goldman Sachs, the most profitable investment bank in Wall Street history, has reaped more than 90 percent of its pretax earnings this year from trading and so-called principal investments, which include market bets on securities and stakes in companies. The other 10 percent came from advising clients on takeovers and capital-raising and from asset management, which includes managing hedge funds and buyout funds.
want to finish with money on my account 
shucks. Hate to miss good opportunities.
