Should Goldman Sachs go out of business? (Reuters)

Goldman Sach’s stock has fallen some 30% in the past year and trades for just 0.7 times book value. Investors are asking if Goldman Sachs should go out of business. One view is that Goldman’s black-box nature is no longer acceptable to investors. Another is that the threat of legal liabilities, such as the Department of Justice’s investigation into the firm’s behavior during the financial crisis, is weighing down the stock. A third is that Goldman’s stock is going to suffer given all the uncertainties in world markets. New regulations coming out of Washington will add cost and lessen opportunities. One alternative to going out of business is taking the firm private.  Some have long held that Goldman has always been run for the benefit of employees rather than shareholders.