Goldman Sachs posted a $3.72 billion profit for the second quarter of 2025, the bank said on Wednesday, amid a strong showing for the Wall Street giant’s trading units
That amounts to earnings of $10.91 per share, higher than the estimate forecast by analysts at the London Stock Exchange Group of $9.53 per share.
Goldman’s equities trading revenue rose 36% to $4.3 billion, higher than the $3.6 billion analysts were expecting, according to estimates compiled by LSEG.
“Our strong results for the quarter reflected healthy client activity levels across our businesses, our differentiated franchise positions and the talent and commitment of our people,” Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon said in a statement.
“At this time, the economy and markets are generally responding positively to the evolving policy environment. But as developments rarely unfold in a straight line, we remain very focused on risk management,” he added in a thinly-veiled reference to the ongoing uncertainty from President Trump’s trade and tariff policies.
Goldman’s investment banking fees stood at $2.19 billion, rising 26% from a year ago. Analysts were expecting a nearly 10% jump.
“The well-above consensus rise in investment banking was (a surprise), with a lot of analysts snookered into thinking that macro uncertainty would hold back this line item more than it did,” said Stephen Biggar, director of financial services research at Argus Research.
Solomon, who raked in $39 million in compensation last year, and his second-in-command, chief operating officer John Waldron have faced heat from some Wall Street observers after both received a five-year $80 million golden handcuffs bonus.
The eye-popping sums were seen as a play to keep Solomon and Waldron with the firm.
In March, the Financial Times reported that Waldron was eyeing a $500 million job in private equity with Marc Rowan’s Apollo Global Management.
Defenders of the payouts have likewise pointed to Goldman’s surging profits, which sent its share price surging by more than 42% over the past year.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
This story originally appeared on NYPost
