Goldman Sachs has held up perhaps better than any other of the top banks, judging by its stock price and its CDS spreads. A MarketWatch columnist now says the bank's future looks "brilliant." That it is still profitable speaks volumes in this market. Certainly, it has built some momentum recently. Trading spreads haven't been this wide in ages, and at least one analyst doubts that new leverage limits will have a big effect.

On the other side of the shop, the big question is whether it will maintain its investment banking franchise. Dealogic ranked Goldman at the top of the table in the first quarter, with $316 million in investment banking advisory revenue. It seems well positioned to benefit from a bump in the overall market.

For more:
- here's the column

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