In the wake of the massive, 2,300-page financial reform bill signed into law by President Obama last month, Goldman Sachs may emerge without any noticeable drop in revenue, the Los Angeles Times's Nathaniel Popper reports.
Last week, CNBC reported that the bank was making plans to spin off its proprietary trading desk, a division that makes trades for the bank's own account. Under the Dodd-Frank bill, Wall Street's banks will be given four years to adjust to the so-called "Volcker Rule." The provision, put forth by former Fed chief Paul Volcker, would cap the amount of money banks could use to engage in proprietary trading.
Wall Street banks have been scrambling to parse the implications of the rule, though it's unclear whether or not prop traders will simply be reassigned to different bank divisions.
But despite the spin-off rumors, Goldman analysts have privately informed their clients that the bank will not lose any revenue from the changes, Popper reports. Here's more:
"The statement was perhaps surprising in its level of conviction," Bank of America Merrill Lynch analyst Guy Moszkowski wrote in a note to clients, "but we've learned to take such judgments from GS very seriously."
Richard Bove, an analyst with Rochdale Securities and frequent CNBC guest, who was certainly no fan of the financial reform bill, told Popper he's decidedly sunny on Goldman's prospects: "I thought this company was going to be really harmed by this bill; now I've figured out that it's not going to happen," he said. "They should win big here."
In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Bove said "what I think Goldman is going to show is that not only are they going to recover, but they're going to benefit from [the changes].
In interview with CNBC, he noted: "Overall, this new financial regulation act should be viewed as an opportunity. The functioning of the financial sector is being forced to adjust. Goldman is likely to make the adjustment first and capture new and profitable opportunities."