S&P Lowers Outlook on Lehman, Goldman

In another sign of flagging confidence in the financial sector, Standard & Poor's Friday lowered its outlook on Goldman Sachs(GS) and Lehman Brothers(LEH) to negative from stable.

The change doesn't affect the debt ratings S&P has assigned to the two investment banks, but it does mean S&P could cut those ratings over the next two years if the companies' financial performance weakens even more than S&P is expecting.

The ratings agency currently expects net revenue at the banks to fall 20% to 30% annually.

The financial sector is suffering in the wake of the subprime meltdown and related credit crisis. Last week, the collapse of Bear Stearns'(BSC) stock price after a run on the bank illustrated just how dicey things are for big brokers. In a deal sanctioned by the Federal Reserve, JPMorgan Chase(JPM) agreed to rescue Bear Stearns by purchasing it, but at the bargain-basement price of $2 a share. ...