Goldman Just Printed $17.01 a Share on a Wall Street Equities Boom. Main Street Still Needs Cheaper Energy and Tighter Budgets
Goldman Sachs reported Oct. 13 that equities revenue jumped 72% and earnings beat forecasts by a wide margin. In our view, that is real confidence in American markets, but families judge the economy by $4.33 gasoline and high borrowing costs, and that is where Washington has work to do.
By Clara Hughes
ALTAS WORLD NEWS OPINION | By Clara Hughes, Chief Opinion Editor | October 14, 2026 | 6-min read Wall Street had a very good summer. On Tuesday, Goldman Sachs reported third-quarter earnings of $17.01 a share, up from $12.25 a year earlier, on net revenues of $18.68 billion [1]. Its equities business alone brought in $6.44 billion, up 72% [1]. Analysts had expected about $13.02 a share [2]. In our view, that is a real sign of confidence in American markets and American companies. It is also a reminder that a boom on the trading floor is not the same thing as relief at the gas pump, and Washington should not confuse the two. Key Takeaways Goldman earned $5.29 billion in the third quarter; net revenues rose 23% from a year earlier [1]. Equities revenue jumped 72% to $6.44 billion, and investment banking fees rose 21% to $3.22 billion [1]. Charitable contributions of about $450 million reduced earnings by about $1.00 a share [3]. CEO David Solomon warned that financing the AI build-out carries risks he called "an unknown we have to live with" [2]. Here is why this matters