[ by Larry Goldfarb ]

Goldman did it again.  Amidst rising discontent at the firm, fewer partners named in its biannual coronation, and rising regulatory scrutiny and pressure, Goldman reported a fourth-quarter profit of $2.89 billion, a significant jump from the period a year earlier. It was also well ahead of analysts' expectations.

The results were impacted by strong trading and investment banking results and lower compensation costs. Now the fun begins.  Among the more interesting tidbits that came from the announcement:

• Goldman has reduced its payroll by 900 people in 2012. The bank set aside $12.22 billion, or 42.4 percent, of its 2011 net revenue to pay compensation and benefits for its employees.

• The firm paid out $12.9 billion in 2012, an average of $399,382 to each of its 32,400 employees. This represented 37.9 percent of Goldman's revenue for the year. 

• The firm's annual return on equity was 10.7 percent, up from 2011, when it was 5.8 percent. In 2006, the RoE was 41.5 percent.

• Net revenue in Goldman's powerful division that trades bonds, currencies and commodities was $2.04 billion, up 50 percent from levels in the quarter a year earlier. Revenue from investment banking came in at $1.41 billion, up 64 percent from the year-ago period.

For more information, please read [NYT Dealbook, 1/1613]