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Really now? Goldman Sachs will pay $5.06bn for its role in the 2008 financial crisis, the US Department of Justice said on Monday. The settlement, over the sal

Really now? Goldman Sachs will pay $5.06bn for its role in the 2008 financial crisis, the US Department of Justice said on Monday. The settlement, over the sale of mortgage-backed securities from 2005 to 2007, was first announced in January. “This resolution holds Goldman Sachs accountable for its serious misconduct in falsely assuring investors that securities it sold were backed by sound mortgages, when it knew that they were full of mortgages that were likely to fail,” acting associate attorney general Stuart Delery said in a statement. -- https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/apr/11/goldman-sachs-2008-financial-crisis-mortagage-backed-securities https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/apr/11/goldman-sac...

qaq 10y ago
They made money and later payed a fine , how is this disputes a statement that GS does not take large unhedged positions?
- kafkaesq 10y ago
  The point is that the assertion you attempted to make in favor of the idea that GS just of course wouldn't take large unhedged positions -- "they run a tight shop" -- just doesn't have a great deal of solid backing.
  - qaq 10y ago
    If you provide an example of a large unhedged position that GS has on the books I'll totally believe you.
    - kafkaesq 10y ago
      You can believe whatever you want. Based on my own research over the years -- and personal dealings with people who have worked there -- I tend not to trust that "shop".
brianwawok 10y ago
Your quote is about honesty. OPs quote was about unhedged rusk. They have little to no relation. You can be both a dishonest trader AND a smart one.
- kafkaesq 10y ago
  Actually the comment I was responding to was about "running a tight shop" -- which is about operational integrity in general (not just on the matter of unhedged risk). In the, you know, "would you buy a used car from these guys?" sense.
  - qaq 10y ago
    Operational integrity for investment bank is to a very significant degree risk management. Integrity as in having control over something not in a moral sense. In the case you referenced I'd rather see GS's counterparties taking more blame. The whole we are poor guys running multi-billion dollar funds and charging millions in fees didn't do due diligence and want to blame someone else thing is pure BS.
  - notyourwork 10y ago
    Perhaps a difference of definition but I don't consider a tight shop to have anything to do with morals or integrity. Tight shops I always considered efficient and optimized. Car dealerships are shady, but they can run a tight shop.
    - kafkaesq 10y ago
      Until they get caught (and heavily fined). Whereupon management suddenly decides that maybe those practices weren't so "tight" after all.
      - notyourwork 10y ago
        Absolutely right! Its usually context specific.
      - 10y ago
branchless 10y ago
Actually they hedged there by lying and selling their crap on instead of holding the baby.

qaq 10y ago

They made money and later payed a fine , how is this disputes a statement that GS does not take large unhedged positions?

kafkaesq 10y ago
The point is that the assertion you attempted to make in favor of the idea that GS just of course wouldn't take large unhedged positions -- "they run a tight shop" -- just doesn't have a great deal of solid backing.
- qaq 10y ago
  If you provide an example of a large unhedged position that GS has on the books I'll totally believe you.
  - kafkaesq 10y ago
    You can believe whatever you want. Based on my own research over the years -- and personal dealings with people who have worked there -- I tend not to trust that "shop".

brianwawok 10y ago

Your quote is about honesty. OPs quote was about unhedged rusk. They have little to no relation. You can be both a dishonest trader AND a smart one.

kafkaesq 10y ago
Actually the comment I was responding to was about "running a tight shop" -- which is about operational integrity in general (not just on the matter of unhedged risk). In the, you know, "would you buy a used car from these guys?" sense.
- qaq 10y ago
  Operational integrity for investment bank is to a very significant degree risk management. Integrity as in having control over something not in a moral sense. In the case you referenced I'd rather see GS's counterparties taking more blame. The whole we are poor guys running multi-billion dollar funds and charging millions in fees didn't do due diligence and want to blame someone else thing is pure BS.
- notyourwork 10y ago
  Perhaps a difference of definition but I don't consider a tight shop to have anything to do with morals or integrity. Tight shops I always considered efficient and optimized. Car dealerships are shady, but they can run a tight shop.
  - kafkaesq 10y ago
    Until they get caught (and heavily fined). Whereupon management suddenly decides that maybe those practices weren't so "tight" after all.
    - notyourwork 10y ago
      Absolutely right! Its usually context specific.
    - 10y ago

branchless 10y ago

Actually they hedged there by lying and selling their crap on instead of holding the baby.