Goldman Sachs Group Inc., (GS: chart), banking and securities services company, reported that Q1 net income advanced 64% to $5.08 a share a share, almost double from $2.94 a share a year ago and $3.35 a share for Q4 of 2005. Overall, total net revenue grew 61%, amounting to $10.34 billion, from the previous year''s $6.41 billion. Goldman also lifted its quarterly dividend to 35 cents a shares from 25 cents.

8:00AM Asian markets lost ground. New Zealand hit a new record high.
Asian-Pacific benchmarks lost ground Tuesday as rising oil prices and concerns about higher interest rates discouraged investors from buying. The Nikkei slipped 0.8% to 16,238.36, ending a three-day rally during which the market surged 4.7%. The index was dragged by weakness in major shipping companies like Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha and tech stocks, such as Tokyo Electron. Taiwan weighted index led decliners, falling 1.3% on heavy sell-off. South Korea’s Kospi dropped 0.9%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 0.1% on property stocks, while New Zealand hit a fresh all-time high of 1.7% thanks to a lower NZ dollar. In currency trading, the dollar fell to 118.60 yen.

European markets traded mixed at mid-day as lackluster close on Wall Street, recovery in oil prices, and some corporate news, weighed on sentiment. However, bid activity among retailers provided some support. The German DAX 30 dropped 0.4% on economic data with BMW rising 3.1% on upgrade from UBS. The French CAC 40 lost 0.2%, while London FTSE 100 gained 0.2%, lifted by mergers in the retail sector, including Kingfisher, up 6.9% and BSG International, up 5.9%.