Goldman profit quadruples on trading gains

"The firm, which was already Wall Street's largest investment bank before the financial crisis and has become even more dominant as some rivals have fallen by the wayside, stayed on pace to hand out more than $20 billion in year-end bonuses. That would be equivalent to more than $630,000 per employee and could beat a record set for compensation in 2007.

But in a sign of weakness, Goldman's investment banking and asset management revenues were lower. The bank fell to No. 2, behind Morgan Stanley, in merger and acquisition adviser rankings for deals announced globally through the third quarter, according to Thomson Reuters. It also dropped a spot to No. 7 in global capital markets."