Buttressing these very hopes was an annoucement by Goldman Sachs that it had raised more than $5 billion to buy up private equity stakes from distressed investors (see below). It is indeed different to see private funds devoted to what is supposed to be the private task of cleaning up the debris left by a down cycle, so I applaud them for it. Furthermore, the seeming ease with which Goldman raised these billions led to speculation that GS itself would soon be able to pay back its TARP funding. After the bell today, Goldman jumped aboard the Wells Fargo bandwagon by releasing positive earnings news ahead of schedule. It will be interesting to see how investors react to this news, as well as to Goldman's plan to boost its capital base by selling more shares. Considering the 55% leap in GS common during 2009, one would think investors were expecting a stock buyback instead of the dilution they now face.