Goldman, M. Stanley profits plunge as dealmaking dries up
The profits for two iconic Wall Street firms _ Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley _ plunged sharply last quarter as volatile markets cut deeply into investment banking NEW YORK -- The profits for two iconic Wall Street firms — Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley — plunged sharply last quarter as volatile markets cut deeply into investment banking. Goldman's profits tumbled 66% to $1.33 billion in the fourth quarter, it said Tuesday, well below what Wall Street had expected. Profits at Morgan Stanley slumped 40% to $2.2 billion, barely beating analyst projections. Expectations for Goldman and Morgan were already grim after quarterly results last week from JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and Bank of America. Goldman on Tuesday disclosed to investors that its consumer banking division was struggling far more than what was previously known publicly. The bank set aside $972 million to cover potential credit losses in the quarter, which the bank said came from higher charge offs in its rather new...