It should be clear that the title doesn't refer to Goldman Sachs ' (NYSE: GS) common shares, which have more than doubled in price since the market's March 9 low. Instead, it's the investment bank's reputation with the general public and financially sophisticated Americans which has taken a beating this year, according to a survey of 17,000 Americans performed on behalf of the Financial Times (You weren't polled? You'll get your chance below.) But does this harm Goldman's franchise?
Potential clients: OK
Fortune compiles an annual ranking of the world's most admired companies by polling businesspeople (i.e. Goldman's potential clients). It's true that Goldman's rank fell to 15th in 2009 from 10th in 2008, but the longer-term trend doesn't reveal any substantial damage to its reputation, as the following table shows:
2009 Rank
2006 Rank
Bank of America (NYSE: BAC)
26
Between 20 and 303
Citigroup (NYSE: C)
Lower than 363
Between 20 and 303
Goldman Sachs
15
18
JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM)
20 Continued... |