Broker Stocks Outlast Skeptics

Hendler says the new risk language is an attempt by Goldman Sachs' lawyers to stave off potential litigation. But it points out the potential downside from all the exotic financial deals Wall Street banks have been engineering the past few years.

"These firms are defying gravity,'' says Hendler. "A lot of these derivative trades are simply a way to lever up volatility, because volatility is low.''

For Wall Street firms, volatility, or a stock's propensity to swing in price, is like manna from heaven because it's what drives trading profits. A flat or complacent market is the worst thing for trading firms.

A cynic says Wall Street will pay a price for taking steps to enhance volatility.