Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon said Wednesday "it is very, very important that we codify a rule-based system" for how cryptocurrency and related financial instruments will operate" in the United States."As an American, I think it is very important that as we put legislation in place, we get it right for the long term," Solomon told CNBC's Sara Eisen during an interview in front of attendees at the World Liberty Forum at the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla., which was hosted by the Trump family's crypto ...

Group 1: Market Developments - World Liberty Financial (WLFI) surged 17% following remarks from Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon and NYSE President Lynn Martin at the inaugural World Liberty Forum, indicating Wall Street's growing acceptance of tokenization [1] - Solomon emphasized the importance of tokenization in shaping market evolution, stating that large-scale technology platforms will play a central role [3] - The NYSE is developing tokenization technology and feels a responsibility to engage in this area as blockchain-based finance gains traction [5] Group 2: Regulatory Environment - Solomon noted that Goldman's limited involvement in crypto is due to prohibitive regulations, which have recently begun to loosen, suggesting a potential reevaluation of their stance on digital assets [3] - He criticized overregulation, claiming it has extracted capital from the financial system and negatively impacted market efficiency over the past five years [4] - CFTC Chairman Michael Selig expressed a desire to collaborate with both incumbents and new entrants in developing new financial tools, indicating a shift in regulatory attitudes [7] Group 3: Technical Analysis of WLFI - WLFI's price broke through key moving averages, challenging the 200 EMA at $0.12743 after consolidating in the $0.095-$0.117 range [7] - The price action is characterized as bullish, with immediate resistance identified at $0.127-$0.130, and potential targets of $0.14 and $0.15-$0.17 if the resistance is breached [8] - Support levels have shifted to $0.113-$0.117, with the rally remaining intact as long as WLFI holds above $0.113 on pullbacks [8]

Core Insights - The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.'s Asset & Wealth Management (AWM) division is becoming a central pillar of the firm's growth strategy, with 2025 results indicating a shift towards more durable, fee-based revenues and lower balance-sheet intensity [2][11] AWM Financial Performance - AWM generated $14.89 billion in net revenues in 2025, with record management and other fees amounting to $11.54 billion [2][10] - Private banking and lending net revenues reached a record $3.3 billion in 2025, reflecting a 16% increase from the previous year, driven by higher net interest margins and improved loan performance [6][10] - Total assets under supervision rose to a record $3.61 trillion in 2025, an increase of $469 billion year over year, supported by market appreciation and net inflows across all client channels [8][10] - AWM achieved a pre-tax margin of 25% and a return on equity of 12.5% in 2025, with targets for high-teens returns and approximately 5% annual growth in long-term fee-based net inflows [9] Growth Drivers - Lending to wealthy individuals and entrepreneurs has been a key growth driver, with management emphasizing lending penetration to deepen client relationships [6] - Goldman oversees over $625 billion in alternative assets, with gross third-party fundraising hitting a record $115 billion in 2025 [7] Strategic Developments - The December 2025 agreement to acquire Innovator Capital Management enhances Goldman's ETF capabilities and reinforces its focus on building diversified, durable revenue streams [11] Competitive Landscape - JPMorgan's AWM segment reported net revenues of $6.5 billion in Q4 2025, up 13% year over year, with assets under management reaching $4.8 trillion [12] - Morgan Stanley's wealth and asset management contribution to total net revenues increased to 54% in 2025 from 26% in 2010, with total client assets reaching $9.3 trillion [13] Market Performance - Goldman Sachs shares surged 37.1% over the past year, outperforming the industry's growth of 15.6% [14] - The forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio for Goldman is 15.95X, above the industry average of 13.99X [17] Earnings Estimates - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Goldman's 2026 and 2027 earnings implies year-over-year increases of 10.3% and 10.6%, respectively, with upward revisions in estimates over the past month [20]

Group 1: SoftBank and Energy Investment - SoftBank Group is leading a consortium to invest in a $33.3 billion gas-fired power project in the U.S., involving major players like Panasonic, Murata Manufacturing, Mizuho Financial Group, and Goldman Sachs [2] - The project aims to provide electrical capacity for AI-focused data centers and is part of a broader $550 billion investment commitment from Japan to the U.S. to enhance economic security and infrastructure [3] Group 2: Digital Euro Development - The European Central Bank (ECB) is developing a Digital Euro with a transaction fee model intended to be lower than international card costs but potentially higher than some domestic payment schemes [4] - The Digital Euro will function as "digital cash" with offline transaction capabilities, and pilot programs are set to begin in 2027, with a full launch targeted for 2029 or 2030 [5] Group 3: Geopolitical Tensions and Economic Implications - The Kremlin supports China's rejection of U.S. allegations regarding a secret nuclear test, which has heightened diplomatic tensions following the expiration of the New START treaty [6][7] - The National Bank of Romania has maintained its key interest rate at 6.5% amid persistent inflation, forecasting a drop to 3.7% by the end of 2026, but warns that this does not account for potential impacts from extended gas price caps [10]

Group 1 - The core viewpoint of the article is that the Reserve Bank of New Zealand's monetary policy statement is more dovish than expected, indicating a prolonged period of loose policy settings [1] - The market has already factored in a 40 basis point increase in the official cash rate by 2026, but the central bank suggests that this may not happen for some time [1] - Economists express confidence that inflation will return to the midpoint of the 2% range within the next 12 months, while also warning about the recent unexpected rise in overall inflation [1] Group 2 - High levels of idle capacity in the economy lead Goldman Sachs to predict a strong economic recovery, with moderate inflationary pressures [1] - The statement from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand aligns with Goldman Sachs' view that the first interest rate hike will be delayed until the fourth quarter of 2026 [1]

Market Overview - Major indices closed flat after a volatile session, with the Dow gaining 32 points (approximately 0.07%), the Nasdaq Composite up 14 basis points, and the S&P 500 finishing up 0.1% [1][7] - Year-to-date performance shows the market has been close to positive but missed it by a small margin [2] Sector Performance - Financials led the day with an increase of over 1%, while real estate and industrials also performed well, with industrials reaching a record high [2][3] - Consumer staples, materials, and energy sectors saw declines, with consumer staples down nearly 1.5% [3] Notable Stocks - Walmart decreased by 3.76%, while Apple increased by 3.17% and Nvidia rose over 1% [3][4] - In the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Home Depot, IBM, and United Health saw declines, while JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, and American Express were among the leaders, with American Express up 2% [5][6] AI and Investment Trends - The tone of the AI conversation among investors has shifted, with a focus on earnings and free cash flow rather than just revenue growth [8][11] - Investors are becoming more discerning, seeking companies that can demonstrate solid earnings and free cash flow to sustain long-term spending [12][15] Gold and Silver Market - Gold and silver are experiencing a pullback despite geopolitical tensions, with gold showing high correlations to tech trades and AI [24][22] - Central banks continue to buy gold, indicating a long-term trend away from the dollar into hard assets [27][29] E Toro Developments - E Toro reported strong fourth-quarter results, emphasizing accelerated product innovation and AI adoption [45] - The company is developing its products significantly faster and has opened its platform for pro investors to build and publish their own apps [46][52] - E Toro's app store is expected to enhance user experience, with various innovative apps already in development [48][50] Crypto Market Insights - Bitcoin has seen a decline of about 20% this year, attributed to a shift in investor focus towards precious metals [38] - Despite the downturn, there are expectations for Bitcoin to rise above $100,000 in the future, supported by ongoing trends in blockchain technology [39][40]

Market Overview - Stocks showed a mixed performance with the Dow Jones Industrial Average up by about 18 basis points, NASDAQ Composite increasing by approximately 0.33%, and S&P 500 rising by 0.3% [2][4] - The Russell 2000 index also climbed into positive territory, reflecting a broader market recovery [3] - The bond market remained stable, with the 30-year T-bond yield down to 4.69% and the 10-year yield around 4.06% [3] Sector Performance - Financials led the large-cap sectors, with notable gains from JP Morgan (up 1.5%), Goldman Sachs, and American Express [4][8] - The technology sector saw mixed results, with Nvidia up nearly 2% and Apple rebounding by 3.76%, while Tesla and other mega-cap tech stocks faced declines [5][6] - Defensive sectors like staples, energy, and materials experienced losses of over 1% [4] Investment Sentiment - Investor sentiment is characterized as cautious, with a significant sector rotation observed from software to hardware and safer areas like materials and energy [10][11] - Small and mid-cap stocks are expected to show greater earnings growth compared to large caps, driven by AI infrastructure and other growth areas [18] BHP Financial Results - BHP reported a 22% increase in first-half profit, with copper now accounting for over 50% of its core earnings, indicating a strategic pivot towards copper production [33][34] - The company plans to increase copper production guidance for this year and next, capitalizing on strong copper prices [36] - BHP's operational performance remains robust, with record production and shipment in iron ore alongside copper growth [36][45] Copper Market Dynamics - The demand for copper is expected to grow significantly, driven by energy transition and digitization, with projections of a 70% increase over the next 25 years [38] - Supply challenges are anticipated due to lower grades and the complexity of new projects, enhancing the demand-supply dynamics for copper [39] Gold and Byproducts - BHP's copper deposits also yield significant byproducts, including gold, which contributed around $2 billion to earnings in the last half [41] - The company is actively seeking to unlock additional value from its portfolio, including a recent $4.3 billion silver stream agreement [42] Iron Ore Negotiations - BHP is engaged in tough negotiations with China's state-owned iron ore buyer but has managed to maintain strong production and price realization [45]

Compensation Overview - The CEOs of the six largest banks on Wall Street all received total compensation exceeding $40 million in 2025, with a collective pay increase of $45.3 million to reach $258 million [1][2] - The majority of the compensation increase was attributed to stock-linked incentives rather than cash [2] Individual CEO Compensation - Morgan Stanley's CEO Ted Pick experienced the largest pay increase of 32%, bringing his total compensation to $45 million, making him the second-highest paid CEO after Goldman Sachs' David Solomon [3] - Wells Fargo's CEO Charles Scharf saw a 28% increase in compensation to $40 million, the lowest among his peers [4] - Citigroup's Jane Fraser's pay rose by 22% to $42 million, while Goldman Sachs' David Solomon's compensation increased by 21% to $47 million [6] Market Performance - Big bank stocks performed well in 2025, with increases ranging from 24% to 64%, primarily driven by rising revenues from Wall Street divisions and regulatory easing under the Trump administration [5] - The optimism for 2026 remains high among bankers regarding dealmaking, lending, and trading, despite concerns over the impact of artificial intelligence on financial services [7] Investment Banking Revenue - Investment banking revenue is currently strong, with figures reaching 70% of last year's total for the first quarter, indicating a healthy pace of activity [8]

This story was originally published on Banking Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Banking Dive newsletter. Bank of America agreed to pay CEO Brian Moynihan $41 million for 2025, the bank disclosed Friday. With that, a perhaps surprising trend has emerged among the six largest U.S.-based global systemically important banks: The longer a CEO has served, the lower his or her raise was in 2025, generally. Jamie Dimon, who has led JPMorgan Chase since 2006, received a 10.3% ...

Core Viewpoint - Goldman Sachs is planning to eliminate diversity rules for its board of directors, reflecting a broader retreat from diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in corporate America [1][4]. Group 1: Changes in Diversity Policies - The bank will remove requirements related to race, gender identity, and sexual orientation from its director selection guidelines later this year [1]. - Goldman Sachs previously dropped a rule that prohibited taking companies public without diverse boards, stating that the policy had "served its purpose" [2][5]. - The bank has adjusted its diversity campaign "One Million Black Women," a $10 billion program, by removing references to race from its homepage [6]. Group 2: Board Composition and Shareholder Sentiment - Currently, five out of the bank's 14 board members are women, while 12 members are white [2]. - Only 2% of Goldman Sachs shareholders supported a motion for an audit of its race-based initiatives at the last annual meeting [5]. - The changes in policy follow pressure from the conservative National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC), which has advocated for a shareholder vote on dropping DEI initiatives [4]. Group 3: Leadership Statements and External Influences - David Solomon, the CEO, previously emphasized that DEI was a "top priority" for Goldman Sachs [7]. - The Trump administration's influence has contributed to the pressure on companies, including Goldman Sachs, to reduce DEI initiatives [6].