More fodder for Goldman Sachs conspiracy theorists

April 28, 2009 | By Jim Kim

We noted recently that VAR at Goldman Sachs has spiked, even as its competitors continue with their lower risk approach. The New York Post adds some color to the issue, reporting that Goldman Sachs has been on a program trading tear. During the week of April 13, the "bulk of the 1.234 billion shares traded by Goldman were done with the firm's own money." Credit Suisse was second most active program-trader at just 662 million.

"Anyone who is less skeptical than I am might view this as a case of Goldman simply becoming aggressive because it sees opportunities in the market." But the column's darker interpretation--I am not advocating this--is that it may be living up to its nickname, Government Sachs, and might be doing the government's bidding" by creating a rally to help the current administration. Do you believe that?

For more:
- here's the column