Goldman's Record Profits

Goldman Sachs put the "gold" back in their name during the last quarter of 2009. The company logged a whopping net income of $4.95 billion during the quarter that ended Dec. 31, compared to a $2.12 billion loss over the same period in 2008, Bloomberg reports. The giant profit, which beat out analysts' estimates, relied on gains from trading and investments with the company's money. It also seems that the populist rage at the bailed-out firm's obese bonuses finally registered: Goldman compensated for a slow fourth quarter of trading by taking back money put aside for bonuses, resulting in the company's lowest compensation-to-revenue ratio since it went public in 1999.