Goldman Sachs estimates that its legal costs can reasonably cost as much as $3.4 billion, according to the firm's 10-K filing released Tuesday.  The actual figure reported is not the amount it expects to pay, but rather the amount that there's a chance it will have to pay.  The firm has not previously disclosed its potential legal bill.  Other disclosures in the filing:

• there were 25 days in 2010 when it either made no money or lost money. 
• there were 68 days when it had trading gains of $100 million or more.
• firm’s lackluster Q4 results reflect the lack of trading opportunities during the last few months of 2010.
• firm reported that Q4 earnings fell a 53% from the same year-ago period, citing increased competition and depressed client activity amid economic uncertainty.
• firm's 2010 daily value-at-risk (V-a-R) fell to $111mn from $153mn a year earlier - due to fewer opportunities in profitable areas like equity and interest rate trading. 
• V-a-R is a yardstick of how much in losses could be suffered in one trading day.  [NYT DealBook, 3/1]