NEW YORK: Under normal circumstances, Goldman Sachs Group Inc might be afforded a moment of gloating as it struts toward what could be a banner earnings announcement just nine months after being roiled by Wall Street's worse crisis since the Great Depression.

But these aren't ordinary times for the biggest US investment bank, which lately has faced a torrent of unwanted publicity stemming from employee theft allegations and an unflattering spread in Rolling Stone magazine.

Now Goldman, expected to announced second-quarter earnings today, finds itself in a no-win situation.