One of the those weird benchmarks that have emerged in recent years is the number of days in a quarter that a bank can rack up $100 million in trading revenue. The more days above $100 million, the better the press (in normal times anyway). The latest on Goldman Sachs (GS) is that it has stepped down a notch from the second quarter.

Bloomberg reports the firm made more than $100 million in trading revenue on 36 days in the third quarter vs. 46 days in the second quarter. The firm lost money on only one day in the third quarter. It made $50 million or more on 53 of the 65 trading days. That's an enviable performance, but there are some weak spots.

The firm lost $3.6 billion via currency trading vs. a $1.4 billion lost in the second quarter, according to a filing. However, credit-related trading gained $2 vs. $1 billion previously. Interest rate trading continues to be a hot area. The bank made $3.9 billion about the same as in the previous quarter. The bank's average daily VAR fell 15 percent in the third quarter. So it seems to be ratcheting back risk a bit. 

For more:
- here's the Bloomberg article

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