Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein Weighs in on Market Volatility, Crypto, and Trump
Kristen Scholer sat down with Lloyd Blankfein, the CEO and Chairman of Goldman Sachs, to discuss the economy, his relationship with President Trump, and where the company stands on cryptocurrencies.
Blankfein most recently saw President Trump in Davos and admitted that, even though he wasn't a supporter during the election, he agrees with Trump's message that promoting America's interests doesn't mean withdrawing from the world. Blankfein knows it may not be a popular opinion, but he says President Trump is good for small businesses and America's economy.
Plus, Blankfein comments on Gary Cohn's place in The White House. He believes that Cohn, who previously served as Goldman's Chief Operating Officer, has accomplished everything he set out to do under the Trump administration.
And don't expect Goldman to jump into the crypto craze anytime soon. Blankfein shot down rumors that the company will open a trading desk, saying that it will clear futures contracts for customers. He says there's a lot of "hype" over the digital assets and that he doesn't "love" the concept.
Goldman is also focused more on digital distribution and turning around revenue numbers for its trading division. Blankfein discusses the company's "Marcus" division, which has issued $2 billion in consumer loans in the year after its launch in October 2016.
Kraft Heinz is splitting into two companies a decade after they joined in a massive merger that created one of the biggest food companies on the planet. One of the companies will include brands such as Heinz, Philadelphia cream cheese and Kraft Mac & Cheese. The other will include brands like Oscar Mayer, Kraft Singles and Lunchables. When the company formed in 2015 it wanted to capitalize on its massive scale, but shifting tastes complicated those plans, with households seeking to introduce healthier options at the table. Kraft Heinz's net revenue has fallen every year since 2020.
About 780,000 pressure washers sold at retailers like Home Depot are being recalled across the U.S. and Canada, due to a projectile hazard that has resulted in fractures and other injuries among some consumers.
President Donald Trump has fired one of two Democratic members of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to break a 2-2 tie ahead of the board considering the largest railroad merger ever proposed.
Ford is recalling more than 355,000 of its pickup trucks across the U.S. because of an instrument panel display failure that’s resulted in critical information, like warning lights and vehicle speed, not showing up on the dashboard.
