Goldman’s Volume Dives 39% to 76th Rank Amid Regulatory Setbacks and Strategic Shifts

On August 21, 2025, Goldman Sachs (GS) traded down 0.66% with a volume of $0.82 billion, reflecting a 38.99% decline from the prior day’s volume and ranking 76th in trading activity. Recent developments highlight regulatory and strategic challenges for the firm. Goldman agreed to a $6 million settlement with the SEC over trading data deficiencies, while ongoing efforts to resolve its $5 billion 1MDB scandal in Malaysia remain unresolved. The firm is also exploring the sale of its consumer lending business GreenSky, with reports indicating advanced negotiations to offload the unit to a group of investment firms.

Institutional investor activity showed mixed signals. Adams Asset Advisors and Inscription Capital reduced stakes in GS, while Norway Savings Bank and others maintained or increased holdings. Analyst ratings remained cautious, with a "Hold" consensus from Citi and a revised price target of $380.00 from MarketBeat. Meanwhile, Goldman’s CEO David Solomon retained board support amid speculation about leadership stability, and the firm reiterated its view that the yield curve does not currently signal a recession.

A backtested trading strategy involving the top 500 stocks by daily volume from 2022 to 2025 showed a 1-day average return of 1.98%, with a total return of 7.61% over 365 days. The strategy’s Sharpe ratio of 0.94 indicated favorable risk-adjusted returns, though it faced a maximum drawdown of -29.16%, underscoring vulnerability during market downturns.