Behavioral theories predict that firm valuation dispersion in the cross-section (‘‘dispersion’’) measures aggregate overpricing caused by investor overconfidence and should be negatively related to expected aggregate returns. This paper develops and tests these hypotheses. Consistent with the model predic- tions, I find that measures of dispersion are positively related to aggregate valuations, trading volume, idiosyncratic volatility, past market returns, and current and future investor sentiment indexes. Disper- sion is a strong negative predictor of subsequent short- and long-term market excess returns. Market beta is positively related to stock returns when the beginning-of-period dispersion is low and this rela- tionship reverses when initial dispersion is high. A simple forecast model based on dispersion signifi- cantly outperforms a naive model based on historical equity premium in out-of-sample tests and the predictability is stronger in economic downturns.

Abstract: This paper is mainly to achieve two aims: 1. present industry analysis on investment banking business; 2. value Goldman Sachs stock through different methods. The paper is consisted of eight parts. Part one is introduction. In part two we make a general review on I-banking industry. In part three we present the profile of Goldman Sachs Group. Then in part four we will analyse GS financial data, based on its latest annual reports. In part five, we will briefly list business risks for GS. In part six we compare fundamental valuation ratios of three biggest investment banks. In part seven we present relevant valuation theory and then value Goldman Sachs stock through three methods: Dividend Discount Model, Price multiples and a simple Residual Income Model. As a final step, in the eighth part we draw a general conclusion of the paper.

这篇论文研究了国际投资银行业的发展趋势，用DDM，RESIDUAL INCOME 和PRICE MULTIPLES 三种方法探讨了美国高盛公司的股票价值，全文约60页,包括了作者能收集到的大部分高盛公司的资料。 SSRN 联接：（http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=577841） Preface Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE stock ticker: GS) is one of the leading investment banks and a Fortune 500 firm, with its IPO in 1999. In this paper, we will present a detailed stock analysis on GS stock. Our paper will focus on two aspects: 1. Illustrate investment banking industry competition drivers. 2. Value GS stock with three methods: Dividends Discount Model (DDM), Price/Earning Multiple and Residual income method. Charts in Main Text 1: Major Trend--Consolidation 2: Segments Trends Analysis 3: ROE of Industry Leaders 4: Major Cost Driver--Salary 5: GS Common-Size Income Statement 6: GS Five-Year Stock Chart 7: GS Valuation Ratios