Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2)
Registration Statement No. 333-269296
The information in this preliminary pricing supplement is not complete and may be changed. This preliminary pricing supplement is not an offer to sell nor does it seek an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
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| Subject to Completion. Dated December 19, 2024. GS Finance Corp. $ Autocallable Underlier-Linked Notes due guaranteed by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. |
The notes do not bear interest. The notes will mature on the stated maturity date (expected to be December 28, 2029) unless they are automatically called on any call observation date commencing on December 22, 2025. Your notes will be automatically called on a call observation date if the closing level of each of the Energy Select Sector SPDR® Fund (ETF), the common stock of NVIDIA Corporation and the Class A common stock of CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. on such date is greater than or equal to its initial level (set on the trade date (expected to be December 20, 2024) and will be an intra-day level or the closing level of one share of such underlier on the trade date), resulting in a payment on the corresponding call payment date for each $1,000 face amount of your notes equal to such $1,000 face amount plus the product of $1,000 times the applicable call premium amount. The call observation dates, the call payment dates and the applicable call premium amount for each call payment date are specified on page PS-5 of this pricing supplement.
The return on your notes is linked, in part, to the performance of the ETF, and not to that of the index on which the ETF is based.
The amount that you will be paid on your notes at maturity, if they have not been automatically called, is based on the performance of the lesser performing underlier (the underlier with the lowest underlier return). The underlier return for each underlier is the percentage increase or decrease in its final level (the closing level of such underlier on the determination date, expected to be December 20, 2029) from its initial level. If the final level of each underlier is greater than its initial level, the return on your notes will be positive and will equal the lesser performing underlier return. If the final level of any underlier is equal to or less than its initial level, you will receive the face amount of your notes.
At maturity, for each $1,000 face amount of your notes, you will receive an amount in cash equal to:
•if the final level of each underlier is greater than its initial level, the sum of (i) $1,000 plus (ii) the product of (a) $1,000 times (b) the lesser performing underlier return; or
•if the final level of any underlier is equal to or less than its initial level, $1,000.
You should read the disclosure herein to better understand the terms and risks of your investment, including the credit risk of GS Finance Corp. and The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. See page PS-19.
The estimated value of your notes at the time the terms of your notes are set on the trade date is expected to be between $885 and $925 per $1,000 face amount. For a discussion of the estimated value and the price at which Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC would initially buy or sell your notes, if it makes a market in the notes, see the following page.
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Original issue date: | expected to be December 26, 2024 | Original issue price: | 100% of the face amount* |
Underwriting discount: | % of the face amount* | Net proceeds to the issuer: | % of the face amount |
* The original issue price will be % for certain investors; see “Supplemental Plan of Distribution; Conflicts of Interest” on page PS-34 for additional information regarding the fees comprising the underwriting discount.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense. The notes are not bank deposits and are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency, nor are they obligations of, or guaranteed by, a bank.
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC
Pricing Supplement No. dated , 2024.
The issue price, underwriting discount and net proceeds listed above relate to the notes we sell initially. We may decide to sell additional notes after the date of this pricing supplement, at issue prices and with underwriting discounts and net proceeds that differ from the amounts set forth above. The return (whether positive or negative) on your investment in notes will depend in part on the issue price you pay for such notes.
GS Finance Corp. may use this prospectus in the initial sale of the notes. In addition, Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC or any other affiliate of GS Finance Corp. may use this prospectus in a market-making transaction in a note after its initial sale. Unless GS Finance Corp. or its agent informs the purchaser otherwise in the confirmation of sale, this prospectus is being used in a market-making transaction.
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Estimated Value of Your Notes The estimated value of your notes at the time the terms of your notes are set on the trade date (as determined by reference to pricing models used by Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (GS&Co.) and taking into account our credit spreads) is expected to be between $885 and $925 per $1,000 face amount, which is less than the original issue price. The value of your notes at any time will reflect many factors and cannot be predicted; however, the price (not including GS&Co.’s customary bid and ask spreads) at which GS&Co. would initially buy or sell notes (if it makes a market, which it is not obligated to do) and the value that GS&Co. will initially use for account statements and otherwise is equal to approximately the estimated value of your notes at the time of pricing, plus an additional amount (initially equal to $ per $1,000 face amount). Prior to , the price (not including GS&Co.’s customary bid and ask spreads) at which GS&Co. would buy or sell your notes (if it makes a market, which it is not obligated to do) will equal approximately the sum of (a) the then-current estimated value of your notes (as determined by reference to GS&Co.’s pricing models) plus (b) any remaining additional amount (the additional amount will decline to zero on a straight-line basis from the time of pricing through ). On and after , the price (not including GS&Co.’s customary bid and ask spreads) at which GS&Co. would buy or sell your notes (if it makes a market) will equal approximately the then-current estimated value of your notes determined by reference to such pricing models. |
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About Your Prospectus The notes are part of the Medium-Term Notes, Series F program of GS Finance Corp. and are fully and unconditionally guaranteed by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. This prospectus includes this pricing supplement and the accompanying documents listed below. This pricing supplement constitutes a supplement to the documents listed below, does not set forth all of the terms of your notes and therefore should be read in conjunction with such documents: The information in this pricing supplement supersedes any conflicting information in the documents listed above. In addition, some of the terms or features described in the listed documents may not apply to your notes. We refer to the notes we are offering by this pricing supplement as the “offered notes” or the “notes”. Each of the offered notes has the terms described below. Please note that in this pricing supplement, references to “GS Finance Corp.”, “we”, “our” and “us” mean only GS Finance Corp. and do not include its subsidiaries or affiliates, references to “The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.”, our parent company, mean only The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. and do not include its subsidiaries or affiliates and references to “Goldman Sachs” mean The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. together with its consolidated subsidiaries and affiliates, including us. The notes will be issued under the senior debt indenture, dated as of October 10, 2008, as supplemented by the First Supplemental Indenture, dated as of February 20, 2015, each among us, as issuer, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., as guarantor, and The Bank of New York Mellon, as trustee. This indenture, as so supplemented and as further supplemented thereafter, is referred to as the “GSFC 2008 indenture” in the accompanying prospectus supplement. The notes will be issued in book-entry form and represented by master note no. 3, dated March 22, 2021. |
Terms AND CONDITIONS
CUSIP / ISIN: 40058G6Q9 / US40058G6Q93
Company (Issuer): GS Finance Corp.
Guarantor: The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
Underliers (each individually, an underlier):
•the Energy Select Sector SPDR® Fund (current Bloomberg symbol: “XLE UP Equity”), or any successor underlier, as it may be modified, replaced or adjusted from time to time as provided herein;
•the common stock of NVIDIA Corporation (current Bloomberg ticker: “NVDA UW”), as it may be replaced or adjusted from time to time as provided herein; and
•the Class A common stock of CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. (current Bloomberg ticker: “CRWD UW”), as it may be replaced or adjusted from time to time as provided herein
ETF: the Energy Select Sector SPDR® Fund, or any successor underlier, as it may be modified, replaced or adjusted from time to time as provided herein
Index stocks (each individually, an index stock): the common stock of NVIDIA Corporation and the Class A common stock of CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc., as each may be replaced or adjusted from time to time as provided herein
Underlying index: with respect to the Energy Select Sector SPDR® Fund, the index tracked by such underlier
Face amount: $ in the aggregate on the original issue date; the aggregate face amount may be increased if the company, at its sole option, decides to sell an additional amount on a date subsequent to the trade date
Authorized denominations: $1,000 or any integral multiple of $1,000 in excess thereof
Principal amount: Subject to redemption by the company as provided under “— Company’s redemption right (automatic call feature)” below, on the stated maturity date the company will pay, for each $1,000 of the outstanding face amount, an amount in cash equal to the cash settlement amount.
Cash settlement amount:
if the final underlier level of each underlier is greater than its initial underlier level, (i) $1,000 plus (ii) the product of (a) $1,000 times (b) the upside participation rate times (c) the lesser performing underlier return; or
if the final underlier level of any underlier is equal to or less than its initial underlier level, $1,000
Company’s redemption right (automatic call feature): if a redemption event occurs, then the outstanding face amount will be automatically redeemed in whole and the company will pay an amount in cash on the following call payment date, for each $1,000 of the outstanding face amount, equal to the sum of (i) $1,000 plus (ii) the product of $1,000 times the applicable call premium amount specified under “— Call observation dates” below
Redemption event: a redemption event will occur if, as measured on any call observation date, the closing level of each underlier is greater than or equal to its initial underlier level
Initial underlier level (set on the trade date): with respect to an underlier, an intra-day level or the closing level of one share of such underlier on the trade date
Final underlier level: with respect to an underlier, the closing level of such underlier on the determination date, subject to adjustment as provided in “— Consequences of a market disruption event or a non-trading day”, “— Discontinuance or modification of an underlier that is an ETF”, “— Anti-dilution adjustments for the ETF” and “— Anti-dilution adjustments for an index stock”, as applicable, below
Underlier return: with respect to an underlier, the quotient of (i) its final underlier level minus its initial underlier level divided by (ii) its initial underlier level, expressed as a percentage
Upside participation rate: 100%
Lesser performing underlier return: the underlier return of the lesser performing underlier
Lesser performing underlier: the underlier with the lowest underlier return
Call premium amount: with respect to any call payment date, the applicable call premium amount specified in the table set forth under “— Call observation dates” below; as shown in such table, the call premium amount increases the longer the notes are outstanding
Trade date: expected to be December 20, 2024
Original issue date (set on the trade date): expected to be December 26, 2024
Determination date (set on the trade date): expected to be December 20, 2029, unless the calculation agent determines that, with respect to any underlier, a market disruption event occurs or is continuing on that day or that day is not otherwise a trading day. In the event the originally scheduled determination date is a non-trading day with respect to any underlier, the determination date will be the first day thereafter that is a trading day for all underliers (the “first qualified trading day”) provided that no market disruption event occurs or is continuing with respect to an underlier on that day. If a market disruption event with respect to an underlier occurs or is continuing on the originally scheduled determination date or the first qualified trading day, the determination date will be the first following trading day on which the calculation agent determines that each underlier has had at least one trading day (from and including the originally scheduled determination date or the first qualified trading day, as applicable) on which no market disruption event has occurred or is continuing and the closing level of each underlier will be determined on or prior to the postponed determination date as set forth under “— Consequences of a market disruption event or a non-trading day” below. (In such case, the determination date may differ from the date on which the level of an underlier is determined for the purpose of the calculations to be performed on the determination date.) In no event, however, will the determination date be postponed to a date later than the originally scheduled stated maturity date or, if the originally scheduled stated maturity date is not a business day, later than the first business day after the originally scheduled stated maturity date, either due to the occurrence of serial non-trading days or due to the occurrence of one or more market disruption events. On such last possible determination date, if a market disruption event occurs or is continuing with respect to an underlier that has not yet had such a trading day on which no market disruption event has occurred or is continuing or if such last possible day is not a trading day with respect to such underlier, that day will nevertheless be the determination date
Stated maturity date (set on the trade date): expected to be December 28, 2029, unless that day is not a business day, in which case the stated maturity date will be postponed to the next following business day. The stated maturity date will also be postponed if the determination date is postponed as described under “— Determination date” above. In such a case, the stated maturity date will be postponed by the same number of business day(s) from but excluding the originally scheduled determination date to and including the actual determination date.
Call observation dates (set on the trade date): expected to be the dates specified as such in the table below, unless the calculation agent determines that, with respect to any underlier, a market disruption event occurs or is continuing on that day or that day is not otherwise a trading day.
In the event the originally scheduled call observation date is a non-trading day with respect to any underlier, the call observation date will be the first day thereafter that is a trading day for all underliers (the “first qualified call trading day”) provided that no market disruption event occurs or is continuing with respect to an underlier on that day. If a market disruption event with respect to an underlier occurs or is continuing on the originally scheduled call observation date or the first qualified call trading day, the call observation date will be the first following trading day on which the calculation agent determines that each underlier has had at least one trading day (from and including the originally scheduled call observation date or the first qualified call trading day, as applicable) on which no market disruption event has occurred or is continuing and the closing level of each underlier for that call observation date will be determined on or prior to the postponed call observation date as set forth under “— Consequences of a market disruption event or a non-trading day” below. (In such case, the call observation date may differ from the date on which the level of an underlier is determined for the purpose of the calculations to be performed on the call observation date.) In no event, however, will the call observation date be postponed to a date later than the originally scheduled call payment date or, if the originally scheduled call payment date is not a business day, later than the first business day after the originally scheduled call payment date, either due to the occurrence of serial non-trading days or due to the occurrence of one or more market disruption events. On such last possible call observation date applicable to the relevant call payment date, if a market disruption event occurs or is continuing with respect to an underlier that has not yet had such a trading day on which no market disruption
event has occurred or is continuing or if such last possible day is not a trading day with respect to such underlier, that day will nevertheless be the call observation date.
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Call Observation Dates | Call Payment Dates | Call Premium Amount |
December 22, 2025 | December 30, 2025 | 12.5% |
December 21, 2026 | December 29, 2026 | 25% |
December 20, 2027 | December 27, 2027 | 37.5% |
December 20, 2028 | December 28, 2028 | 50% |
Call payment dates (set on the trade date): expected to be the dates specified as such in the table set forth under “Call observation dates” above, unless, for any such call payment date, that day is not a business day, in which case such call payment date will be postponed to the next following business day. If a call observation date is postponed as described under “— Call observation dates” above, such call payment date will be postponed by the same number of business day(s) from but excluding the applicable originally scheduled call observation date to and including the actual call observation date
Closing level: on any trading day, with respect to an underlier, the closing sale price or last reported sale price, regular way, for such underlier, on a per-share or other unit basis:
•on the principal national securities exchange on which such underlier is listed for trading on that day, or
•if such underlier is not listed on any national securities exchange on that day, on any other U.S. national market system that is the primary market for the trading of such underlier.
If such underlier is not listed or traded as described above, then the closing level for such underlier on any day will be the average, as determined by the calculation agent, of the bid prices for such underlier obtained from as many dealers in such underlier selected by the calculation agent as will make those bid prices available to the calculation agent. The number of dealers need not exceed three and may include the calculation agent or any of its or the company’s affiliates.
The closing level of an underlier is subject to adjustment as described under “— Anti-dilution adjustments for the ETF” and “— Anti-dilution adjustments for an index stock”, as applicable, below.
Trading day: (i) with respect to the ETF, a day on which (a) the exchange on which such underlier has its primary listing is open for trading and (b) the price of one share of such underlier is quoted by the exchange on which such underlier has its primary listing and (ii) with respect to an index stock, a day on which the principal securities market for such underlier is open for trading
Successor underlier: with respect to the ETF, any substitute underlier approved by the calculation agent as a successor underlier as provided under “— Discontinuance or modification of an underlier that is an ETF” below
ETF investment advisor: with respect to the ETF, at any time, the person or entity, including any successor investment advisor or trustee, as applicable, that serves as an investment advisor or trustee to such underlier as then in effect
Underlier stocks: with respect to the ETF, at any time, the stocks that comprise such underlier as then in effect, after giving effect to any additions, deletions or substitutions
Index stock issuer: with respect to an index stock, the issuer of such underlier as then in effect
Market disruption event: With respect to any given trading day, any of the following will be a market disruption event with respect to an underlier:
●a suspension, absence or material limitation of trading in such underlier on its primary market for more than two consecutive hours of trading or during the one-half hour before the close of trading in that market, as determined by the calculation agent in its sole discretion,
●a suspension, absence or material limitation of trading in option or futures contracts relating to such underlier in the primary market for those contracts for more than two consecutive hours of trading or during the one-half hour before the close of trading in that market, as determined by the calculation agent in its sole discretion, or
●such underlier does not trade on what was the primary market for such underlier, as determined by the calculation agent in its sole discretion,
and, in the case of any of these events, the calculation agent determines in its sole discretion that such event could materially interfere with the ability of the company or any of its affiliates or a similarly situated person to unwind all or a material portion of a hedge that could be effected with respect to this note.
The following events will not be market disruption events:
●a limitation on the hours or numbers of days of trading, but only if the limitation results from an announced change in the regular business hours of the relevant market, and
●a decision to permanently discontinue trading in option or futures contracts relating to such underlier.
For this purpose, an “absence of trading” in the primary securities market on which shares of such underlier are traded, or on which option or futures contracts, if available, relating to such underlier are traded, will not include any time when that market is itself closed for trading under ordinary circumstances. In contrast, a suspension or limitation of trading in shares of such underlier or in option or futures contracts, if available, relating to such underlier in the primary market for such underlier or those contracts, by reason of:
•a price change exceeding limits set by that market,
•an imbalance of orders relating to the shares of such underlier or those contracts, or
•a disparity in bid and ask quotes relating to the shares of such underlier or those contracts,
will constitute a suspension or material limitation of trading in shares of such underlier or those contracts in that market.
A market disruption event with respect to one underlier will not, by itself, constitute a market disruption event for any unaffected underlier.
Consequences of a market disruption event or a non-trading day: With respect to any underlier, if a market disruption event occurs or is continuing on a day that would otherwise be a call observation date or the determination date, or such day is not a trading day, then such call observation date or the determination date will be postponed as described under “— Call observation dates” or “— Determination date” above. If any call observation date or the determination date is postponed to the last possible date due to the occurrence of serial non-trading days, the level of each underlier will be the calculation agent’s assessment of such level, in its sole discretion, on such last possible postponed call observation date or determination date, as applicable. If any call observation date or the determination date is postponed due to a market disruption event with respect to any underlier, the closing level of each underlier with respect to such call observation date or the final underlier level with respect to the determination date, as applicable, will be calculated based on (i) for any underlier that is not affected by a market disruption event on (A) the applicable originally scheduled call observation date or the first qualified call trading day thereafter (if applicable) or (B) the originally scheduled determination date or the first qualified trading day thereafter (if applicable), the closing level of the underlier on that date, (ii) for any underlier that is affected by a market disruption event on (A) the applicable originally scheduled call observation date or the first qualified call trading day thereafter (if applicable) or (B) the originally scheduled determination date or the first qualified trading day thereafter (if applicable), the closing level of the underlier on the first following trading day on which no market disruption event exists for such underlier and (iii) the calculation agent’s assessment, in its sole discretion, of the level of any underlier on the last possible postponed call observation date or determination date, as applicable, with respect to such underlier as to which a market disruption event continues through the last possible postponed call observation date or determination date. As a result, this could result in the closing level on any call observation date or final underlier level on the determination date of each underlier being determined on different calendar dates. For the avoidance of doubt, once the closing level for an underlier is determined for a call observation date or the determination date, the occurrence of a later market disruption event or non-trading day will not alter such calculation.
Discontinuance or modification of an underlier that is an ETF: If, with respect to the ETF, such underlier is delisted from the exchange on which the underlier has its primary listing and its ETF investment advisor or anyone else publishes a substitute underlier that the calculation agent determines is comparable to such underlier and approves as a successor underlier, or if the calculation agent designates a substitute underlier, then the calculation agent will determine the amount payable on the call payment date or the stated maturity date, as applicable, by reference to such successor underlier.
If the calculation agent determines that the underlier is delisted or withdrawn from the exchange on which the underlier has its primary listing and there is no successor underlier, the calculation agent will determine the amount payable on the call payment date or on the stated maturity date, as applicable, by a computation methodology that the calculation agent determines will as closely as reasonably possible replicate such underlier.
If the calculation agent determines that an underlier, the underlier stocks comprising such underlier or the method of calculating such underlier is changed at any time in any respect — including any split or reverse split of the underlier, a material change in the investment objective of the underlier and any addition, deletion or substitution and any reweighting or rebalancing of the underlier stocks and whether the change is made by the ETF investment advisor under its existing policies or following a modification of those policies, is due to the publication of a successor underlier, is due to events affecting one or more of the underlier stocks or their issuers or is due to any other reason — then the calculation agent will be permitted (but not required) to make such adjustments in such underlier or the method of its calculation as it believes are appropriate to ensure that the levels of such underlier used to determine the amount payable on the call payment date or the stated maturity date, as applicable, is equitable.
All determinations and adjustments to be made by the calculation agent with respect to the ETF may be made by the calculation agent in its sole discretion. The calculation agent is not obligated to make any such adjustments.
Anti-dilution adjustments for the ETF: the calculation agent will have discretion to adjust the closing level of the underlier if certain events occur (including those described above under “— Discontinuance or modification of an underlier that is an ETF”). In the event that any event other than a delisting or withdrawal from the relevant exchange occurs, the calculation agent shall determine whether and to what extent an adjustment should be made to the level of such underlier or any other term. The calculation agent shall have no obligation to make an adjustment for any such event.
Anti-dilution adjustments for an index stock: The calculation agent will adjust the reference amount of an index stock in respect of each event for which adjustment is required under any of the six subsections beginning with “Stock splits” below (and not in respect of any other event). (If more than one such event occurs, the calculation agent shall adjust the reference amount as so provided for each such event, sequentially, in the order in which such events occur, and on a cumulative basis.) Having adjusted the reference amount for any and all such events as so provided, the calculation agent shall determine a closing level for the reference amount as so adjusted on the call observation date or the determination date, as applicable. (If the reference amount is adjusted pursuant to “Reorganization events” below so as to consist of distribution property, then the closing level on any call observation date or the determination date, as applicable, shall equal the sum of the respective closing levels or other values for all such distribution property on such call observation date or the determination date, as provided in “Reorganization events” below.) Having determined the closing level on any call observation date or the determination date, as applicable, the calculation agent shall use such prices to determine the occurrence of a redemption event, or calculate the cash settlement amount. The calculation agent shall make all adjustments no later than the applicable call observation date or the determination date, as applicable.
Notwithstanding any other provision in this note, if an event for which adjustment is required under any of the six subsections beginning with “Stock splits” below occurs, the calculation agent may make the adjustment and any related determinations and calculations in a manner that differs from that specified in this note as necessary to achieve an equitable result. Upon written request by the holder to the calculation agent, the calculation agent will provide the holder with such information about these adjustments as such agent determines is appropriate.
Stock splits. A stock split is an increase in the number of a corporation’s outstanding shares of stock without any change in its stockholders’ equity. Each outstanding share will be worth less as a result of a stock split. If an index stock is subject to a stock split, then at the opening of business on the first day on which such index stock trades without the right to receive the stock split, the calculation agent will adjust the reference amount to equal the sum of the reference amount in effect immediately prior to such adjustment plus the product of (i) the number of new
shares issued in the stock split with respect to one share of such index stock times (ii) the reference amount in effect immediately prior to such adjustment. The reference amount will not be adjusted, however, unless such first day occurs after the trade date and on or before the applicable call observation date or the determination date, as applicable.
Reverse stock splits. A reverse stock split is a decrease in the number of a corporation’s outstanding shares of stock without any change in its stockholders’ equity. Each outstanding share will be worth more as a result of a reverse stock split. If an index stock is subject to a reverse stock split, then once the reverse stock split becomes effective, the calculation agent will adjust the reference amount to equal the product of the reference amount in effect immediately prior to such adjustment and the quotient of (i) the number of shares of such index stock outstanding immediately after the reverse stock split becomes effective divided by (ii) the number of shares of such index stock outstanding immediately before the reverse stock split becomes effective. The reference amount will not be adjusted, however, unless the reverse stock split becomes effective after the trade date and on or before the applicable call observation date or the determination date, as applicable.
Stock dividends. In a stock dividend, a corporation issues additional shares of its stock to all holders of its outstanding shares of its stock in proportion to the shares they own. Each outstanding share will be worth less as a result of a stock dividend. If an index stock is subject to a stock dividend that is given ratably to all holders of such index stock, then at the opening of business on the ex-dividend date, the calculation agent will adjust the reference amount to equal the reference amount in effect immediately prior to such adjustment plus the product of (i) the number of shares issued in the stock dividend with respect to one share of such index stock times (ii) the reference amount in effect immediately prior to such adjustment. The reference amount will not be adjusted, however, unless such ex-dividend date occurs after the trade date and on or before the applicable call observation date or the determination date, as applicable.
Other dividends and distributions. There will be no adjustments to the reference amount to reflect dividends or other distributions paid with respect to an index stock other than:
•stock dividends as provided in “Stock dividends” above,
•issuances of transferable rights or warrants as provided in “Transferable rights and warrants” below,
•dividends or other distributions constituting spin-off events as provided in “Reorganization events” below, or
•extraordinary dividends described below.
A dividend or other distribution with respect to an index stock will be deemed to be an “extraordinary dividend” if its per share value of such dividend or other distribution exceeds the per share value of the immediately preceding dividend or distribution with respect to such index stock, if any, that is not an extraordinary dividend by an amount equal to at least 10% of the closing level of such index stock on the trading day immediately preceding the ex-dividend date for such extraordinary dividend.
If an extraordinary dividend occurs with respect to an index stock, the calculation agent will adjust the reference amount to equal the product of (a) the reference amount in effect immediately prior to such adjustment and (b) a fraction, the numerator of which is the closing level of such index stock on the trading day immediately preceding the ex-dividend date and the denominator of which is the amount by which such closing level exceeds the extraordinary dividend amount.
The “extraordinary dividend amount” with respect to an extraordinary dividend for an index stock will equal:
•in the case of an extraordinary dividend that is paid in lieu of a regular quarterly dividend, the amount per share of such extraordinary dividend minus the amount per share of the immediately preceding dividend or distribution with respect to such index stock, if any, that is not an extraordinary dividend or
•in the case of an extraordinary dividend that is not paid in lieu of a regular quarterly dividend, the amount per share of such extraordinary dividend.
To the extent an extraordinary dividend is not paid in cash, the value of the non-cash component will be determined by the calculation agent. A distribution on an index stock that constitutes a stock dividend, an issuance of transferable rights or warrants or a spin-off event and also constitutes an extraordinary dividend will result only in an adjustment to the reference amount pursuant to “Stock dividends” above, “Transferable rights and warrants” below or “Reorganization events” below, as applicable. The reference amount will not be adjusted
pursuant to this subsection unless the ex-dividend date for the extraordinary dividend occurs after the trade date and on or before the applicable call observation date or the determination date, as applicable.
Transferable rights and warrants. With respect to an index stock, if the index stock issuer issues transferable rights or warrants to all holders of the index stock to subscribe for or purchase the index stock at an exercise price per share less than the closing level of the index stock on the trading day immediately before the ex-dividend date for such issuance, then the calculation agent will adjust the reference amount by multiplying the reference amount in effect immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction:
•the numerator of which is the number of shares of index stock outstanding at the close of business on the day before such ex-dividend date plus the number of additional shares of index stock offered for subscription or purchase under such transferable rights or warrants, and
•the denominator of which is the number of shares of index stock outstanding at the close of business on the day before such ex-dividend date plus the number of additional shares of index stock that the aggregate offering price of the total number of shares of index stock so offered for subscription or purchase would purchase at the closing level of the index stock on the trading day immediately before such ex-dividend date, with such number of additional shares being determined by multiplying the total number of shares so offered by the exercise price of such transferable rights or warrants and dividing the resulting product by the closing level of the index stock on the trading day immediately before such ex-dividend date.
The reference amount will not be adjusted, however, unless such ex-dividend date occurs after the trade date and on or before the applicable call observation date or the determination date, as applicable.
Reorganization events. With respect to an index stock, if:
•any reclassification or other change of the index stock occurs,
•the index stock issuer has been subject to a merger, consolidation, amalgamation, binding share exchange or other business combination and is not the surviving entity or it does survive but all the shares of index stock are reclassified or changed,
•the index stock has been subject to a takeover, tender offer, exchange offer, solicitation proposal or other event by another person to purchase or otherwise obtain all of the outstanding shares of the index stock, such that all of the outstanding shares of the index stock (other than shares of the index stock owned or controlled by such other person) are transferred, or irrevocably committed to be transferred, to another person,
•the index stock issuer or any subsidiary of the index stock issuer has been subject to a merger, consolidation, amalgamation or binding share exchange in which the index stock issuer is the surviving entity and all the outstanding shares of the index stock (other than shares of the index stock owned or controlled by such other person) immediately prior to such event collectively represent less than 50% of the outstanding shares of the index stock immediately following such event,
•the index stock issuer sells or otherwise transfers its property and assets as an entirety or substantially as an entirety to another entity
•the index stock issuer issues to all holders of index stock equity securities of an issuer other than the index stock issuer (other than in a transaction described in any of the bullet points above) (a “spin-off event”),
•the index stock issuer is liquidated, dissolved or wound up or is subject to a proceeding under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law, or
•any other corporate or similar events that affect or could potentially affect market prices of, or shareholders’ rights in, the index stock or distribution property, which will be substantiated by an official characterization by either the Options Clearing Corporation with respect to options contracts on the index stock or by the primary securities exchange on which the index stock or listed options on the index stock are traded, and will ultimately be determined by the calculation agent in its sole discretion (any such event in this bullet point or any of the bullet points above in this subsection, a “reorganization event”),
then the calculation agent will adjust the reference amount so that the reference amount consists of the respective amounts of each type of distribution property deemed, for the purposes of this note, to be distributed in such
reorganization event in respect of the reference amount as in effect immediately prior to such adjustment, taken together.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, however, the calculation agent will not make any adjustment for a reorganization event unless the event becomes effective — or, if the event is a spin-off event, unless the ex-dividend date for the spin-off event occurs — after the trade date and on or before the applicable call observation date or the determination date, as applicable.
The calculation agent will determine the value of each component type of distribution property, using the closing level on the relevant day for any such type consisting of securities and such other method as it determines to be appropriate, in its sole discretion, for any other type. If a holder of an index stock may elect to receive different types or combinations of types of distribution property in the reorganization event, the distribution property will be deemed to include the types and amounts thereof distributed to a holder that makes no election, as determined by the calculation agent in its sole discretion. If a reorganization event occurs and as a result the reference amount is adjusted to consist of distribution property, the calculation agent will make further adjustments for subsequent events that affect such distribution property or any component type thereof, to the same extent that it would make adjustments if an index stock were outstanding and were affected by the same kinds of events. The closing level on a call observation date or the determination date will be the total value, as determined by the calculation agent at the close of trading hours of an index stock on such call observation date or the determination date, as applicable, of all components of the reference amount, with each component having been adjusted on a sequential and cumulative basis for all relevant events affecting it.
The calculation agent may, in its sole discretion, modify the adjustments described in “Reorganization events” as necessary to ensure an equitable result.
If at any time the reference amount consists of distribution property, as determined by the calculation agent, then all references in this note to an “index stock” shall thereupon be deemed to mean such distribution property and all references in this note to a “share of index stock” shall thereupon be deemed to mean a comparable unit of each type of property comprising such distribution property, as determined by the calculation agent.
Minimum adjustments. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no adjustment will be required in respect of any event specified in “Stock splits”, “Reverse stock splits”, “Stock dividends”, “Other dividends and distributions” and “Transferable rights and warrants” above unless such adjustment would result in a change of at least 0.1% in the closing level of such index stock. The closing level of an index stock resulting from any adjustment shall be rounded up or down, as appropriate, to the nearest ten-thousandth, with five hundred-thousandths being rounded upward — e.g., 0.12344 will be rounded down to 0.1234 and 0.12345 will be rounded up to 0.1235.
Distribution property: cash, securities and/or other property distributed in any reorganization event in respect of the relevant reference amount and, in the case of a spin-off event, includes such reference amount
Ex-dividend date: for any dividend or other distribution with respect to an index stock, the first day on which the index stock trades without the right to receive such dividend or other distribution
Reference amount: with respect to an index stock, initially, one share of such index stock which shall be adjusted, as to the amount(s) and/or type(s) of property comprising the same, by the calculation agent as provided under “Anti-dilution adjustments for an index stock” above
Business day: each Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday that is not a day on which banking institutions in New York City generally are authorized or obligated by law, regulation or executive order to close.
Calculation agent: Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (“GS&Co.”)
Overdue principal rate: the effective Federal Funds rate
HYPOTHETICAL EXAMPLES
Payment Examples
The following examples are provided for purposes of illustration only. They should not be taken as an indication or prediction of future investment results and are intended merely to illustrate the impact that the various hypothetical closing levels of the underliers on a call observation date or the determination date could have on the amount of cash payable on the related call payment date or on the stated maturity date, as the case may be, assuming all other variables remain constant.
The examples below are based on a range of underlier levels that are entirely hypothetical; no one can predict what the closing level of any underlier will be on any day throughout the life of your notes, what the closing level of any underlier will be on any call observation date or what the final underlier level of the lesser performing underlier will be on the determination date. The underliers have been highly volatile in the past — meaning that the underlier levels have changed substantially in relatively short periods — and their performance cannot be predicted for any future period.
The information in the following examples reflects hypothetical rates of return on the offered notes assuming that they are purchased on the original issue date at the face amount and held to a call payment date or the stated maturity date, as the case may be. If you sell your notes in a secondary market prior to a call payment date or the stated maturity date, as the case may be, your return will depend upon the market value of your notes at the time of sale, which may be affected by a number of factors that are not reflected in the examples below such as interest rates, the volatility of the underliers, the creditworthiness of GS Finance Corp., as issuer, and the creditworthiness of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., as guarantor. In addition, the estimated value of your notes at the time the terms of your notes are set on the trade date (as determined by reference to pricing models used by GS&Co.) is less than the original issue price of your notes. For more information on the estimated value of your notes, see “Additional Risk Factors Specific to Your Notes — The Estimated Value of Your Notes At the Time the Terms of Your Notes Are Set On the Trade Date (as Determined By Reference to Pricing Models Used By GS&Co.) Is Less Than the Original Issue Price Of Your Notes” on page PS-19 of this pricing supplement. The information in the examples also reflects the key terms and assumptions in the box below.
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Key Terms and Assumptions |
Face amount | $1,000 |
Upside participation rate | 100% |
Call premium amount | the applicable call premium amount for each call payment date is specified on page PS-5 of this pricing supplement |
The notes are not automatically called, unless otherwise indicated below Neither a market disruption event nor a non-trading day occurs on any originally scheduled call observation date or the originally scheduled determination date No change in or affecting any underlier, any underlier stock, any policy of the applicable ETF investment advisor or any method by which the sponsor of the applicable underlier’s underlying index calculates its underlying index Notes purchased on original issue date at the face amount and held to a call payment date or the stated maturity date |
Moreover, we have not yet set the initial underlier levels that will serve as the baseline for determining if the notes will be automatically called, the underlier returns and the amount that we will pay on your notes on a call payment date or at maturity. We will not do so until the trade date. As a result, the actual initial underlier levels may differ substantially from the underlier levels prior to the trade date. They may also differ substantially from the underlier levels at the time you purchase your notes.
For these reasons, the actual performance of the underliers over the life of your notes, particularly on each call observation date and the determination date, as well as the amount payable on a call payment date or at maturity may bear little relation to the hypothetical examples shown below or to the historical underlier levels shown elsewhere in this pricing supplement. For information about the underlier levels during recent periods, see “The Underliers — Historical Closing Levels of the Underliers” on page PS-29. Before investing in the notes, you should
consult publicly available information to determine the underlier levels between the date of this pricing supplement and the date of your purchase of the notes.
Also, the hypothetical examples shown below do not take into account the effects of applicable taxes. Because of the U.S. tax treatment applicable to your notes, tax liabilities could affect the after-tax rate of return on your notes to a comparatively greater extent than the after-tax return on the underlier stocks.
Hypothetical Amount in Cash Payable on a Call Payment Date
The examples below show hypothetical amounts that we would pay on a call payment date with respect to each $1,000 face amount of the notes if the closing level of each underlier is greater than or equal to its initial underlier level on the applicable call observation date. While there are four potential call payment dates with respect to your notes, the examples below only illustrate the amount you will receive, if any, on the first and second call payment date.
If your notes are automatically called on the first call observation date (i.e., on the first call observation date the closing level of each underlier is greater than or equal to its initial underlier level), the amount in cash that we would deliver for each $1,000 face amount of your notes on the applicable call payment date would be the sum of $1,000 plus the product of the applicable call premium amount times $1,000. If, for example, the closing level of each underlier was determined to be 120% of its initial underlier level, your notes would be automatically called and the amount in cash that we would deliver on your notes on the corresponding call payment date would be 112.5% of the face amount of your notes or $1,125 for each $1,000 of the face amount of your notes.
If the notes are not automatically called on the first call observation date and are automatically called on the second call observation date (i.e., on the first call observation date the closing level of any underlier is less than its initial underlier level, and on the second call observation date the closing level of each underlier is greater than or equal to its initial underlier level), the amount in cash that we would deliver for each $1,000 face amount of your notes on the applicable call payment date would be the sum of $1,000 plus the product of the applicable call premium amount times $1,000. If, for example, the closing level of each underlier was determined to be 130% of its initial underlier level, your notes would be automatically called and the amount in cash that we would deliver on your notes on the corresponding call payment date would be 125% of the face amount of your notes or $1,250 for each $1,000 of the face amount of your notes.
Hypothetical Payment at Maturity
If the notes are not automatically called on any call observation date (i.e., on each call observation date the closing level of any underlier is less than its initial underlier level), the cash settlement amount we would deliver for each $1,000 face amount of your notes on the stated maturity date will depend on the performance of the lesser performing underlier on the determination date, as shown in the table below. The table below assumes that the notes have not been automatically called on a call observation date and reflects hypothetical cash settlement amounts that you could receive on the stated maturity date.
The levels in the left column of the table below represent hypothetical final underlier levels of the lesser performing underlier and are expressed as percentages of the initial underlier level of the lesser performing underlier. The amounts in the right column represent the hypothetical cash settlement amounts, based on the corresponding hypothetical final underlier level of the lesser performing underlier, and are expressed as percentages of the face amount of a note (rounded to the nearest one-thousandth of a percent). Thus, a hypothetical cash settlement amount of 100.000% means that the value of the cash payment that we would deliver for each $1,000 of the outstanding face amount of the offered notes on the stated maturity date would equal 100.000% of the face amount of a note, based on the corresponding hypothetical final underlier level of the lesser performing underlier and the assumptions noted above.
The Notes Have Not Been Automatically Called
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Hypothetical Final Underlier Level of the Lesser Performing Underlier | Hypothetical Cash Settlement Amount |
(as Percentage of Initial Underlier Level) | (as Percentage of Face Amount) |
200.000% | 200.000% |
175.000% | 175.000% |
150.000% | 150.000% |
125.000% | 125.000% |
100.000% | 100.000% |
99.999% | 100.000% |
75.000% | 100.000% |
50.000% | 100.000% |
25.000% | 100.000% |
0.000% | 100.000% |
If, for example, the notes have not been automatically called on a call observation date and the final underlier level of the lesser performing underlier were determined to be 25.000% of its initial underlier level, the cash settlement amount that we would deliver on your notes at maturity would be 100.000% of the face amount of your notes, as shown in the table above. As a result, if you purchased your notes on the original issue date at the face amount and held them to the stated maturity date, you would receive no return on your investment.
The following chart also shows a graphical illustration of the hypothetical cash settlement amounts that we would pay on your notes on the stated maturity date, if the final underlier level of the lesser performing underlier were any of the hypothetical levels shown on the horizontal axis. The chart shows that any hypothetical final underlier level of the lesser performing underlier of less than 100.000% (the section left of the 100.000% marker on the horizontal axis) would result in a hypothetical cash settlement amount of 100.000% of the face amount of your notes.
The amounts shown above are entirely hypothetical; they are based on market prices for the underliers that may not be achieved on the determination date and on assumptions that may prove to be erroneous. The actual market value of your notes on the stated maturity date or at any other time, including any time you may wish to sell your notes, may bear little relation to the hypothetical amounts shown above, and these amounts should not be viewed as an indication of the financial return on an investment in the offered notes. The hypothetical amounts on notes held to the stated maturity date in the examples above assume you purchased your notes at their face amount and have not been adjusted to reflect the actual issue price you pay for your notes. The return on your investment (whether positive or negative) in your notes will be affected by the amount you pay for your notes. If you purchase your notes for a price other than the face amount, the return on your investment will differ from, and may be significantly lower than, the hypothetical returns suggested by the above examples. Please read “Additional Risk Factors Specific to Your Notes — The Market Value of Your Notes May Be Influenced By Many Unpredictable Factors” on page PS-21.
Payments on the notes are economically equivalent to the amounts that would be paid on a combination of other instruments. For example, payments on the notes are economically equivalent to a combination of an interest-bearing bond bought by the holder and one or more options entered into between the holder and us (with one or more implicit option premiums paid over time). The discussion in this paragraph does not modify or affect the terms of the notes or the U.S. federal income tax treatment of the notes, as described elsewhere in this pricing supplement.
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We cannot predict the actual closing levels of the underliers on any day, the final underlier levels or what the market value of your notes will be on any particular trading day, nor can we predict the relationship between the closing levels of the underliers and the market value of your notes at any time prior to the stated maturity date. The actual amount that you will receive on a call payment date or the stated maturity date and the rate of return on the offered notes will depend on whether or not the notes are automatically called and the actual initial underlier levels, which we will set on the trade date, and on the actual closing levels of the underliers on the call observation dates and the actual final underlier levels determined by the calculation agent as described above. Moreover, the assumptions on which the hypothetical examples are based may turn out to be inaccurate. Consequently, the amount in cash to be paid in respect of your notes on a call payment date or the stated maturity date, as applicable, may be very different from the information reflected in the examples above. |
Anti-dilution Adjustment Examples for an Index Stock
The calculation agent will adjust the closing level of an index stock on a call observation date or the determination date, as applicable, only if an event described under one of the six subsections beginning with “Stock splits” under “Terms and Conditions — Anti-dilution adjustments for an index stock” occurs and only if the relevant event occurs during the period described under the applicable subsection. The adjustments described under “Terms and Conditions — Anti-dilution adjustments for an index stock” do not cover all events that could affect the closing level of an index stock on a call observation date or the determination date, as applicable, such as an issuer tender or exchange offer for such index stock at a premium to its market price or a tender or exchange offer made by a third party for less than all outstanding shares of such index stock. We describe the risks relating to dilution under “Additional Risk Factors Specific to the Notes — You Have Limited Anti-dilution Protection” on page S-9 of the accompanying general terms supplement no. 8,999.
How Adjustments Will Be Made
In this pricing supplement, we refer to anti-dilution adjustment of the closing level of an index stock on a call observation date or the determination date, as applicable. With respect to an index stock, if an event requiring anti-dilution adjustment occurs, the calculation agent will make the adjustment by taking the following steps:
Step One. The calculation agent will adjust the reference amount. This term refers to the amount of the index stock or other property that must be used to determine the closing level of the index stock on a call observation date or the determination date, as applicable. For example, if no adjustment described under “Terms and Conditions — Anti-dilution adjustments for an index stock” is required at a time, the reference amount for that time will be one share of the index stock. In that case, the closing level of the index stock on a call observation date or the determination date, as applicable, will be the closing level of one share of the index stock on the applicable call observation date or the determination date. We describe how the closing level will be determined under “Terms and Conditions — Closing level” above.
If an adjustment described under “Terms and Conditions — Anti-dilution adjustments for an index stock” is required because one of the dilution events described in the first five subsections beginning with “Stock splits” under “Terms and Conditions — Anti-dilution adjustments for an index stock” — these involve stock splits, reverse stock splits, stock dividends, other dividends and distributions and issuances of transferable rights and warrants — occurs, then the adjusted reference amount at that time might instead be, for example, two shares of the index stock or a half share of the index stock, depending on the event. In that example, the closing level of the index stock on a call observation date or the determination date, as applicable, would be the level (determined as specified under “Terms and Conditions — Closing level” above) at the close of trading on the applicable call observation date or the determination date of two shares of the index stock or a half share of the index stock, as applicable.
If an adjustment described under “Terms and Conditions — Anti-dilution adjustments for an index stock” is required at a time because one of the reorganization events described under “Terms and Conditions — Reorganization events” — these involve events in which cash, securities or other property is distributed in respect of the index stock — occurs, then the reference amount at that time will be adjusted to be as follows, assuming there has been no prior or subsequent anti-dilution adjustment: the amount of each type of the property distributed in the reorganization event in respect of one share of the index stock, plus one share of the index stock if the index stock remains outstanding. In that event, the closing level of the index stock on a call observation date or the determination date, as applicable, would be the value of the adjusted reference amount at the close of trading on such call observation date or the determination date.
The manner in which the calculation agent adjusts the reference amount in step one will depend on the type of dilution event requiring adjustment. These events and the nature of the required adjustments are described in the six subsections beginning with “Stock splits” under “Terms and Conditions — Anti-dilution adjustments for an index stock”.
Step Two. Having adjusted the reference amount in step one, the calculation agent will determine the closing level of the index stock on a call observation date or the determination date, as applicable, in the following manner.
If the adjusted reference amount at the applicable time consists entirely of shares of the index stock, the index stock level will be the closing level (determined as described under “Terms and Conditions — Closing level” above) of the adjusted reference amount on the applicable date.
On the other hand, if the adjusted reference amount at the applicable time includes any property other than shares of the index stock, the closing level of the index stock on a call observation date or the determination date, as applicable, will be the value of the adjusted reference amount as determined by the calculation agent in the manner described under “— Adjustments for Reorganization Events” below at the applicable time.
Step Three. Having determined the closing level of the index stock on a call observation date or the determination date, as applicable, in step two, the calculation agent will use such level to determine the occurrence of a redemption event or to calculate the cash settlement amount.
If more than one event requiring adjustment as described under “Terms and Conditions — Anti-dilution adjustments for an index stock” occurs, the calculation agent will first adjust the reference amount as described in step one above for each event, sequentially, in the order in which the events occur, and on a cumulative basis. Thus, having adjusted the reference amount for the first event, the calculation agent will repeat step one for the second event, applying the required adjustment to the reference amount as already adjusted for the first event, and so on for each event. Having adjusted the reference amount for all events, the calculation agent will then take the remaining applicable steps in the process described above, determining the closing level of the index stock on a call observation date or the determination date, as applicable, using the reference amount as sequentially and cumulatively adjusted for all the relevant events. The calculation agent will make all required determinations and adjustments no later than the applicable call observation date or the determination date, as applicable.
The calculation agent will adjust the reference amount for each reorganization event described under “Terms and Conditions — Reorganization events” above. For any other dilution event described above, however, the calculation agent will not be required to adjust the reference amount unless the adjustment would result in a change of at least 0.1% in the index stock level that would apply without the adjustment. The closing level of the index stock on a call observation date or the determination date, as applicable, resulting from any adjustment will be rounded up or down, as appropriate, to the nearest ten-thousandth, with five hundred-thousandths being rounded upward — e.g., 0.12344 will be rounded down to 0.1234 and 0.12345 will be rounded up to 0.1235.
If an event requiring anti-dilution adjustment occurs, the calculation agent will make the adjustment with a view to offsetting, to the extent practical, any change in the economic position of the holder, GS Finance Corp., as issuer, and The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., as guarantor, relative to your notes, that results solely from that event. The calculation agent may, in its sole discretion, modify the anti-dilution adjustments as necessary to ensure an equitable result.
The calculation agent will make all determinations with respect to anti-dilution adjustments, including any determination as to whether an event requiring adjustment has occurred, as to the nature of the adjustment required and how it will be made or as to the value of any property distributed in a reorganization event, and will do so in its sole discretion. In the absence of manifest error, those determinations will be conclusive for all purposes and will be binding on you and us, without any liability on the part of the calculation agent. The calculation agent will provide information about the adjustments it makes upon written request by the holder.
In this pricing supplement, when we say that the calculation agent will adjust the reference amount for one or more dilution events, we mean that the calculation agent will take all the applicable steps described above with respect to those events.
The six subsections beginning with “Stock splits” under “Terms and Conditions — Anti-dilution adjustments for an index stock” describe the dilution events for which the reference amount is to be adjusted. Each subsection describes the manner in which the calculation agent will adjust the reference amount — the first step in the adjustment process described above — for the relevant event.
Adjustments for Reorganization Events
If a reorganization event occurs, then the calculation agent will adjust the reference amount so that it consists of the amount of each type of distribution property described under “Terms and Conditions — Anti-dilution adjustments for an index stock — Reorganization events” above distributed in respect of one share of an index stock — or in respect of whatever the prior reference amount may be — in the reorganization event, taken together. For purposes of the three-step adjustment process described under “— How Adjustments Will Be Made” above, the distribution property so distributed will be the adjusted reference amount described in step one, the value of that property at the close of trading hours for an index stock on the applicable date will be the index stock level described in step two, and the calculation agent will determine the occurrence of a redemption event or will calculate the cash settlement amount as described in step three. As described under “— How Adjustments Will Be Made” above, the calculation agent may, in its sole discretion, modify the adjustments described in this paragraph as necessary to ensure an equitable result.
The calculation agent will determine the value of each type of distribution property in its sole discretion. For any distribution property consisting of a security, the calculation agent will use the closing level (calculated according to the same methodology as specified in this pricing supplement, without any anti-dilution adjustments) of one share of such security on the applicable date. The calculation agent may value other types of property in any manner it determines, in its sole discretion, to be appropriate. If a holder of an index stock may elect to receive different types or combinations of types of distribution property in the reorganization event, the distribution property will consist of the types and amounts of each type distributed to a holder that makes no election, as determined by the calculation
agent in its sole discretion. As described under “— How Adjustments Will Be Made” above, the calculation agent may, in its sole discretion, modify the adjustments described in this paragraph as necessary to ensure an equitable result.
If a reorganization event occurs and the calculation agent adjusts the reference amount to consist of the distribution property distributed in the reorganization event, as described above, the calculation agent will make any further anti-dilution adjustments for later events that affect the distribution property, or any component of the distribution property, comprising the new reference amount. The calculation agent will do so to the same extent that it would make adjustments if an index stock were outstanding and were affected by the same kinds of events. If a subsequent reorganization event affects only a particular component of the reference amount, the required adjustment will be made with respect to that component, as if it alone were the reference amount.
For example, if an index stock issuer merges into another company and each share of such index stock is converted into the right to receive two common shares of the surviving company and a specified amount of cash, the reference amount will be adjusted to consist of two common shares of the surviving company and the specified amount of cash for each share of index stock (adjusted proportionately for any partial share) comprising the reference amount before the adjustment. The calculation agent will adjust the common share component of the adjusted reference amount to reflect any later stock split or other event, including any later reorganization event, that affects a common share of the surviving company, to the extent described in this subsection entitled “— Anti-dilution Adjustment Examples for an Index Stock” as if a common share of the surviving company were such index stock. In that event, the cash component will not be adjusted but will continue to be a component of the reference amount. Consequently, each component included in the reference amount will be adjusted on a sequential and cumulative basis for all relevant events requiring adjustment up to the relevant date.
The calculation agent will not make any adjustment for a reorganization event, however, unless the event becomes effective (or, if the event is a spin-off, unless the ex-dividend date for the spin-off occurs) after the trade date and on or before the applicable call observation date or the determination date, as applicable.
ADDITIONAL RISK FACTORS SPECIFIC TO YOUR NOTES
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An investment in your notes is subject to the risks described below, as well as the risks and considerations described in the accompanying prospectus, in the accompanying prospectus supplement and under “Additional Risk Factors Specific to the Notes” in the accompanying general terms supplement no. 8,999. You should carefully review these risks and considerations as well as the terms of the notes described herein and in the accompanying prospectus, the accompanying prospectus supplement and the accompanying general terms supplement no. 8,999. Your notes are a riskier investment than ordinary debt securities. Also, your notes are not equivalent to investing directly in the index stock, the ETF or the underlier stocks (i.e., with respect to the ETF to which your notes are linked, the stocks comprising such underlier). You should carefully consider whether the offered notes are appropriate given your particular circumstances. |
Risks Related to Structure, Valuation and Secondary Market Sales
The Estimated Value of Your Notes At the Time the Terms of Your Notes Are Set On the Trade Date (as Determined By Reference to Pricing Models Used By GS&Co.) Is Less Than the Original Issue Price Of Your Notes
The original issue price for your notes exceeds the estimated value of your notes as of the time the terms of your notes are set on the trade date, as determined by reference to GS&Co.’s pricing models and taking into account our credit spreads. Such estimated value on the trade date is set forth above under “Estimated Value of Your Notes”; after the trade date, the estimated value as determined by reference to these models will be affected by changes in market conditions, the creditworthiness of GS Finance Corp., as issuer, the creditworthiness of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., as guarantor, and other relevant factors. The price at which GS&Co. would initially buy or sell your notes (if GS&Co. makes a market, which it is not obligated to do), and the value that GS&Co. will initially use for account statements and otherwise, also exceeds the estimated value of your notes as determined by reference to these models. As agreed by GS&Co. and the distribution participants, this excess (i.e., the additional amount described under “Estimated Value of Your Notes”) will decline to zero on a straight line basis over the period from the date hereof through the applicable date set forth above under “Estimated Value of Your Notes”. Thereafter, if GS&Co. buys or sells your notes it will do so at prices that reflect the estimated value determined by reference to such pricing models at that time. The price at which GS&Co. will buy or sell your notes at any time also will reflect its then current bid and ask spread for similar sized trades of structured notes.
In estimating the value of your notes as of the time the terms of your notes are set on the trade date, as disclosed above under “Estimated Value of Your Notes”, GS&Co.’s pricing models consider certain variables, including principally our credit spreads, interest rates (forecasted, current and historical rates), volatility, price-sensitivity analysis and the time to maturity of the notes. These pricing models are proprietary and rely in part on certain assumptions about future events, which may prove to be incorrect. As a result, the actual value you would receive if you sold your notes in the secondary market, if any, to others may differ, perhaps materially, from the estimated value of your notes determined by reference to our models due to, among other things, any differences in pricing models or assumptions used by others. See “— The Market Value of Your Notes May Be Influenced By Many Unpredictable Factors” below.
The difference between the estimated value of your notes as of the time the terms of your notes are set on the trade date and the original issue price is a result of certain factors, including principally the underwriting discount and commissions, the expenses incurred in creating, documenting and marketing the notes, and an estimate of the difference between the amounts we pay to GS&Co. and the amounts GS&Co. pays to us in connection with your notes. We pay to GS&Co. amounts based on what we would pay to holders of a non-structured note with a similar maturity. In return for such payment, GS&Co. pays to us the amounts we owe under your notes.
In addition to the factors discussed above, the value and quoted price of your notes at any time will reflect many factors and cannot be predicted. If GS&Co. makes a market in the notes, the price quoted by GS&Co. would reflect any changes in market conditions and other relevant factors, including any deterioration in our creditworthiness or perceived creditworthiness or the creditworthiness or perceived creditworthiness of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. These changes may adversely affect the value of your notes, including the price you may receive for your notes in any market making transaction. To the extent that GS&Co. makes a market in the notes, the quoted price will reflect the estimated value determined by reference to GS&Co.’s pricing models at that time, plus or minus its then current bid and ask spread for similar sized trades of structured notes (and subject to the declining excess amount described above).
Furthermore, if you sell your notes, you will likely be charged a commission for secondary market transactions, or the price will likely reflect a dealer discount. This commission or discount will further reduce the proceeds you would receive for your notes in a secondary market sale.
There is no assurance that GS&Co. or any other party will be willing to purchase your notes at any price and, in this regard, GS&Co. is not obligated to make a market in the notes. See “Additional Risk Factors Specific to the Notes — Your Notes May Not Have an Active Trading Market” on page S-7 of the accompanying general terms supplement no. 8,999.
The Notes Are Subject to the Credit Risk of the Issuer and the Guarantor
Although the return on the notes will be based on the performance of each underlier, the payment of any amount due on the notes is subject to the credit risk of GS Finance Corp., as issuer of the notes, and the credit risk of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., as guarantor of the notes. The notes are our unsecured obligations. Investors are dependent on our ability to pay all amounts due on the notes, and therefore investors are subject to our credit risk and to changes in the market’s view of our creditworthiness. Similarly, investors are dependent on the ability of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., as guarantor of the notes, to pay all amounts due on the notes, and therefore are also subject to its credit risk and to changes in the market’s view of its creditworthiness. See “Description of the Notes We May Offer — Information About Our Medium-Term Notes, Series F Program — How the Notes Rank Against Other Debt” on page S-5 of the accompanying prospectus supplement and “Description of Debt Securities We May Offer — Guarantee by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.” on page 67 of the accompanying prospectus.
The Amount You Will Receive on a Call Payment Date Will Be Capped
Regardless of the closing levels of the underliers on a call observation date, the amount in cash that you may receive on the call payment date is capped. Even if the closing level of each underlier on a call observation date exceeds its initial underlier level, causing the notes to be automatically called on such day, the amount in cash payable on the call payment date will be capped, and you will not benefit from the increases in the closing levels of the underliers above their initial underlier levels on the call observation date. If your notes are automatically called on a call observation date, the maximum payment you will receive for each $1,000 face amount of your notes will depend on the applicable call premium amount.
You May Receive Only the Face Amount of Your Notes at Maturity
If the final underlier level of any underlier is equal to or less than its initial underlier level, the return on your notes will be limited to the face amount.
Even if the amount paid on your notes at maturity exceeds the face amount of your notes, the overall return you earn on your notes may be less than you would have earned by investing in a note with the same stated maturity that bears interest at the prevailing market rate.
Your Notes Are Subject to Automatic Redemption
We will automatically call and redeem all, but not part, of your notes on a call payment date if, as measured on any call observation date, the closing level of each underlier is greater than or equal to its initial underlier level. Therefore, the term for your notes may be reduced. You may not be able to reinvest the proceeds from an investment in the notes at a comparable return for a similar level of risk in the event the notes are automatically called prior to maturity. For the avoidance of doubt, if your notes are automatically called, no discounts, commissions or fees described herein will be rebated or reduced.
The Amount In Cash That You Will Receive on a Call Payment Date or on the Stated Maturity Date Is Not Linked to the Closing Levels of the Underliers at Any Time Other Than on the Applicable Call Observation Date or on the Determination Date, as the Case May Be
The amount in cash that you will receive on a call payment date, if any, will be paid only if the closing level of each underlier on the applicable call observation date is equal to or greater than its initial underlier level. Therefore, the closing levels of the underliers on dates other than the call observation dates will have no effect on any amount paid in respect of your notes on the call payment date. In addition, the cash settlement amount you will receive on the stated maturity date will be based on the closing levels of the underliers on the determination date (which is subject to postponement in case of market disruption events or non-trading days), and therefore not the simple performance of the underliers over the life of your notes. Therefore, if the closing level of an
underlier dropped precipitously on the determination date, the cash settlement amount for your notes may be significantly less than it would have been had the cash settlement amount been linked to the closing levels of the underliers prior to such drop.
Also, the market price of your notes prior to a call payment date or the stated maturity date, as the case may be, may be significantly lower than the purchase price you pay for your notes. Consequently, if you sell your notes before the stated maturity date, you may receive far less than the amount of your investment in the notes.
The Cash Settlement Amount Will Be Based Solely on the Lesser Performing Underlier
If the notes are not automatically called, the cash settlement amount will be based on the lesser performing underlier without regard to the performances of the other underliers. As a result, you would receive no return on your initial investment if the lesser performing underlier return is zero or negative, even if there is an increase in the levels of the other underliers. This could be the case even if the other underliers increased by an amount greater than the decrease in the lesser performing underlier.
Your Notes Do Not Bear Interest
You will not receive any interest payments on your notes. As a result, even if the amount payable for your notes on a call payment date or the stated maturity date, as applicable, exceeds the face amount of your notes, the overall return you earn on your notes may be less than you would have earned by investing in a non-indexed debt security of comparable maturity that bears interest at a prevailing market rate.
The Market Value of Your Notes May Be Influenced By Many Unpredictable Factors
When we refer to the market value of your notes, we mean the value that you could receive for your notes if you chose to sell them in the open market before the stated maturity date. A number of factors, many of which are beyond our control, will influence the market value of your notes, including:
•the market prices or levels of the underliers;
•the volatility — i.e., the frequency and magnitude of changes — in the market prices or closing levels of the underliers;
•the dividend rates of the underliers and underlier stocks;
•economic, financial, regulatory, political, military, public health and other events that affect stock markets generally and the market segments of which the index stocks and underlier stocks are a part, and which may affect the market prices or closing levels of the underliers;
•interest rates and yield rates in the market;
•the time remaining until your notes mature; and
•our creditworthiness and the creditworthiness of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., whether actual or perceived, and including actual or anticipated upgrades or downgrades in our credit ratings or the credit ratings of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. or changes in other credit measures.
Without limiting the foregoing, the market value of your notes may be negatively impacted by increasing interest rates. Such adverse impact of increasing interest rates could be significantly enhanced in notes with longer-dated maturities, the market values of which are generally more sensitive to increasing interest rates.
These factors may influence the market value of your notes if you sell your notes before maturity, including the price you may receive for your notes in any market making transaction. If you sell your notes prior to maturity, you may receive less than the face amount of your notes. You cannot predict the future performance of the underliers based on their historical performance.
If You Purchase Your Notes at a Premium to Face Amount, the Return on Your Investment Will Be Lower Than the Return on Notes Purchased at Face Amount and the Impact of Certain Key Terms of the Notes Will Be Negatively Affected
The amount in cash that you will be paid for your notes on the stated maturity date or the amount you will be paid on a call payment date will not be adjusted based on the issue price you pay for the notes. If you purchase notes at a price that differs from the face amount of the notes, then the return on your investment in such notes held to a
call payment date or the stated maturity date will differ from, and may be substantially less than, the return on notes purchased at face amount. If you purchase your notes at a premium to face amount and hold them to a call payment date or the stated maturity date, the return on your investment in the notes will be lower than it would have been had you purchased the notes at face amount or a discount to face amount.
We Will Not Hold Shares of the Index Stocks for Your Benefit
The indenture governing your note does not contain any restriction on our ability or the ability of any of our affiliates to sell, pledge or otherwise convey a share or shares of the index stocks acquired by us or them. Neither we nor our affiliates will pledge or otherwise hold shares of the index stocks for your benefit in order to enable you to exchange your note for shares under any circumstances. Consequently, in the event of our bankruptcy, insolvency or liquidation, any shares of the index stocks owned by us will be subject to the claims of our creditors generally and will not be available for your benefit specifically.
In Some Circumstances, the Payment You Receive On the Notes May Be Based On the Securities of Another Company and Not the Issuer of an Index Stock
Following certain corporate events relating to an index stock where its issuer is not the surviving entity, the amount you receive at maturity may be based on the securities of a successor to such index stock issuer or any cash or any other assets distributed to holders of shares of such index stock in such corporate event. The occurrence of these corporate events and the consequent adjustments may materially and adversely affect the value of the notes. We describe the specific corporate events that can lead to these adjustments and the procedures for selecting distribution property (as described above) under “Terms and Conditions — Anti-dilution adjustments for an index stock”.
The Return on Your Notes Will Not Reflect Any Dividends Paid on the Underliers or the Underlier Stocks
The return on your notes will not reflect the return you would realize if you actually owned the underliers and received the distributions paid on the shares of such underliers. You will not receive any dividends that may be paid on any of the underlier stocks by the underlier stock issuers or the shares of the underliers. See “— You Have No Shareholder Rights or Rights to Receive Any Shares of the Underliers or Any Underlier Stock” below for additional information.
You Have No Shareholder Rights or Rights to Receive Any Shares of the Underliers or Any Underlier Stock
Investing in your notes will not make you a holder of any shares of the underliers or any underlier stocks. Neither you nor any other holder or owner of your notes will have any rights with respect to the underliers or the underlier stocks, including any voting rights, any rights to receive dividends or other distributions, any rights to make a claim against the underliers or the underlier stocks or any other rights of a holder of any shares of the underliers or the underlier stocks. Your notes will be paid in cash and you will have no right to receive delivery of any shares of the underliers or any underlier stocks.
We May Sell an Additional Aggregate Face Amount of the Notes at a Different Issue Price
At our sole option, we may decide to sell an additional aggregate face amount of the notes subsequent to the date of this pricing supplement. The issue price of the notes in the subsequent sale may differ substantially (higher or lower) from the issue price you paid as provided on the cover of this pricing supplement.
Additional Risks Related to the ETF
The Policies of the ETF’s Investment Advisor and the Sponsor of Its Underlying Index Could Affect the Amount Payable on Your Notes and Their Market Value
The ETF’s investment advisor may from time to time be called upon to make certain policy decisions or judgments with respect to the ETF, including those concerning the calculation of the net asset value of the ETF, additions, deletions or substitutions of securities in the ETF and the manner in which changes affecting the underlying index are reflected in the ETF that could affect the market price of the shares of the ETF, and therefore, the amount payable on your notes on the stated maturity date. The amount payable on your notes and their market value could also be affected if the ETF investment advisor changes these policies, for example, by changing the manner in which it calculates the net asset value of the ETF, or if the ETF investment advisor discontinues or
suspends calculation or publication of the net asset value of the ETF, in which case it may become difficult or inappropriate to determine the market value of your notes.
If events such as these occur, the calculation agent – which initially will be GS&Co., our affiliate — may determine the closing level of the ETF on a call observation date or the determination date - and thus the amount payable on a call payment date or the stated maturity date, if any — in a manner it considers appropriate, in its sole discretion. We describe the discretion that the calculation agent will have in determining the closing level of the ETF on a call observation date or the determination date, as applicable, and the amount payable on your notes more fully under “Terms and Conditions — Discontinuance or modification of an underlier that is an ETF” on page PS-7 of this pricing supplement.
In addition, the sponsor of the ETF underlying index owns the underlying index and is responsible for the design and maintenance of its underlying index. The policies of the sponsor of the ETF’s underlying index concerning the calculation of its underlying index, including decisions regarding the addition, deletion or substitution of the equity securities included in its underlying index, could affect the level of its underlying index and, consequently, could affect the market prices of shares of the ETF and, therefore, the amount payable on your notes and their market value.
There Is No Assurance That an Active Trading Market Will Continue for the ETF or That There Will Be Liquidity in Any Such Trading Market; Further, the ETF Is Subject to Management Risks, Securities Lending Risks and Custody Risks
Although the shares of the ETF and a number of similar products have been listed for trading on securities exchanges for varying periods of time, there is no assurance that an active trading market will continue for the shares of the ETF or that there will be liquidity in the trading market.
In addition, the ETF is subject to management risk, which is the risk that the ETF investment advisor’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of constraints, may not produce the intended results. The ETF is also not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments relating to its underlying index. The ETF investment advisor invests in securities included in, or representative of, its underlying index regardless of their investment merits. The ETF investment advisor does not attempt to take defensive positions in declining markets. In addition, the ETF’s investment advisor may be permitted to engage in securities lending with respect to a portion of ETF’s total assets, which could subject the ETF to the risk that the borrower of such loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all.
In addition, the ETF is subject to custody risk, which refers to the risks in the process of clearing and settling trades and to the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories.
Further, the ETF is subject to listing standards adopted by the securities exchange on which the ETF is listed for trading. There can be no assurance that the ETF will continue to meet the applicable listing requirements, or that the ETF will not be delisted.
The ETF and Its Underlying Index Are Different and the Performance of the ETF May Not Correlate With the Performance of Its Underlying Index
The ETF may not hold all or substantially all of the equity securities included in its underlying index and may hold securities or assets not included in its underlying index. Therefore, while the performance of the ETF is generally linked to the performance of its underlying index, the performance of the ETF is also linked in part to shares of equity securities not included in its underlying index and to the performance of other assets, such as futures contracts, options and swaps, as well as cash and cash equivalents, including shares of money market funds affiliated with the ETF investment advisor.
Imperfect correlation between the ETF’s portfolio securities and those in its underlying index, rounding of prices, changes to its underlying index and regulatory requirements may cause tracking error, which is the divergence of the ETF’s performance from that of its underlying index.
In addition, the performance of the ETF will reflect additional transaction costs and fees that are not included in the calculation of its underlying index and this may increase the tracking error of the ETF. Also, corporate actions with respect to the sample of equity securities (such as mergers and spin-offs) may impact the performance differential between the ETF and its underlying index. Finally, because the shares of the ETF are traded on an exchange and are subject to market supply and investor demand, the market value of one share of the ETF may differ from the net asset value per share of the ETF.
For all of the foregoing reasons, the performance of the ETF may not correlate with the performance of its underlying index. Consequently, the return on the notes will not be the same as investing directly in its underlying index or in its underlying index stocks, and will not be the same as investing in a debt security with a payment at maturity linked to the performance of its underlying index.
The ETF Is Concentrated in the Energy Sector and Does Not Provide Diversified Exposure
The ETF is not diversified. The ETF’s assets are concentrated in the energy sector, which means the ETF is more likely to be more adversely affected by any negative performance of the energy sector than an ETF that has more diversified holdings across a number of sectors. Issuers in energy-related industries can be significantly affected by fluctuations in energy prices and supply and demand of energy fuels. Markets for various energy-related commodities can have significant volatility, and are subject to control or manipulation by large producers or purchasers. Companies in the energy sector may need to make substantial expenditures, and to incur significant amounts of debt, in order to maintain or expand their reserves. In addition, oil and gas exploration and production can be significantly affected by natural disasters as well as changes in exchange rates, interest rates, government regulation, world events and economic conditions. Companies in the energy sector may also be at risk for environmental damage claims.
The ETF May Be Disproportionately Affected By the Performance of a Small Number of Stocks
Although the ETF held 22 stocks as of December 18, 2024, 37.44% of the ETF was invested in just two stocks – Exxon Mobil Corporation and Chevron Corporation. As a result, a decline in the prices of one or more of these stocks, including as a result of events negatively affecting one or both of these companies, such as an oil spill or other catastrophic event, may have the effect of significantly lowering the level of the ETF even if none of the other stocks held by the ETF are affected by such events. Because of the weighting of the holdings of the ETF, the amount you receive at maturity could be less than the payment at maturity you would have received if you had invested in a product linked to an ETF that capped the maximum weight of any one stock to a low amount or that equally weighted all stocks held by such ETF.
Additional Risks Related to the Class A Common Stock of CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc.
The Class A Common Stock of CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. Has a Very Limited Trading History
Your notes are linked, in part, to the Class A common stock of CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. that has only recently commenced public trading and, therefore, has very limited historical performance. Because the Class A common stock of CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. has no historical closing price prior to the completion of its initial public offering, limited historical index stock information will be available for you to consider in making an independent investigation of its index stock performance, which may make it difficult for you to make an informed decision with respect to the notes. Further, because the Class A common stock of CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. has a very limited trading history, your investment in the notes may involve greater risks than an investment in notes linked to the securities of companies with a more established record of performance. For additional information about the Class A common stock of CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc., see “The Index Stocks”. No future performance of the Class A common stock of CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. can be predicted based on the historical index stock performance information described herein.
Risks Related to Tax
Your Notes Will Be Treated as Debt Instruments Subject to Special Rules Governing Contingent Payment Debt Instruments for U.S. Federal Income Tax Purposes
The notes will be treated as debt instruments subject to special rules governing contingent payment debt instruments for U.S. federal income tax purposes. If you are a U.S. individual or taxable entity, you generally will be required to pay taxes on ordinary income from the notes over their term based on the comparable yield for the notes, even though you generally will not receive any payments from us until maturity. This comparable yield is determined solely to calculate the amount on which you will be taxed prior to maturity and is neither a prediction nor a guarantee of what the actual yield will be. In addition, any gain you may recognize on the sale, exchange, redemption or maturity of the notes will be taxed as ordinary interest income. If you are a secondary purchaser of the notes, the tax consequences to you may be different. Please see “Supplemental Discussion of U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences” below for a more detailed discussion. Please also consult your tax advisor
concerning the U.S. federal income tax and any other applicable tax consequences to you of owning your notes in your particular circumstances.
Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) Withholding May Apply to Payments on Your Notes, Including as a Result of the Failure of the Bank or Broker Through Which You Hold the Notes to Provide Information to Tax Authorities
Please see the discussion under “United States Taxation — Taxation of Debt Securities — Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) Withholding” in the accompanying prospectus for a description of the applicability of FATCA to payments made on your notes.
The UNDERLIERS
Energy Select Sector SPDR® Fund
The shares of the Energy Select Sector SPDR® Fund (the “ETF”) are issued by the Select Sector SPDR® Trust (the “trust”), a registered investment company.
•The ETF is an exchange-traded fund that seeks to provide investment results that, before expenses, correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Energy Select Sector Index (the “index”). The index includes companies in the S&P 500® Index that have been identified as Energy companies by the Global Industry Classification Standard, including securities of companies from the following industries: oil, gas and consumable fuels; and energy equipment and services. The S&P 500® Index is a broad-based securities market index that includes common stocks of approximately 500 companies from a number of sectors representing a significant portion of the market value of all stocks publicly traded in the United States.
•The return on your notes is linked to the performance of the ETF, and not to that of the index on which the ETF is based. The performance of the ETF may significantly diverge from that of its index.
•The ETF’s investment advisor is SSGA Funds Management, Inc.
•The ETF’s shares trade on the NYSE Arca under the ticker symbol “XLE”.
•The trust’s SEC CIK Number is 0001064641.
•The ETF’s inception date was December 16, 1998.
Holdings with Weights Equal to or in Excess of 20% of the Energy Select Sector SPDR® Fund as of December 18, 2024
Exxon Mobil Corporation is registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Companies with securities registered under the Exchange Act are required to file financial and other information specified by the SEC periodically. Information filed by this underlier stock issuer with the SEC electronically can be reviewed through a website maintained by the SEC. The address of the SEC’s website is sec.gov. Information filed with the SEC by the above-referenced underlier stock issuer under the Exchange Act can be located by referencing its SEC file number specified below.
The graph below shows the daily historical closing prices of Exxon Mobil Corporation from January 1, 2019 through December 18, 2024. We obtained the prices in the graph below using data from Bloomberg Financial Services, without independent verification. We have taken the description of the underlier stock issuer set forth below from publicly available information without independent verification.
According to publicly available information, Exxon Mobil Corporation explores for, and produces, crude oil and natural gas and manufactures, trades, transports and sells crude oil, natural gas, petroleum products, petrochemicals and a variety of specialty products. Information filed with the SEC by the underlying security issuer under the Exchange Act can be located by referencing its SEC file number 001-02256.
Historical Performance of Exxon Mobil Corporation
Where Information About the ETF Can Be Obtained
Information filed by the trust with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) electronically can be reviewed through a website maintained by the SEC. The address of the SEC’s website is sec.gov. Information filed with the SEC by the trust, including its reports to shareholders, can be located by referencing its CIK number referred to above.
In addition, information regarding the ETF (including its fees and top ten holdings and weights) may be obtained from other sources including, but not limited to, press releases, newspaper articles, other publicly available documents, and the ETF’s website. We are not incorporating by reference the website, the sources listed above or any material they include in this pricing supplement.
We do not make any representation or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any materials referred to above, including any filings made by the trust with the SEC.
We Obtained the Information About the ETF From the Trust’s Publicly Available Information
This pricing supplement relates only to your note and does not relate to the ETF. We have derived all information about the ETF in this pricing supplement from the publicly available information referred to in the preceding subsection. We have not participated in the preparation of any of those documents or made any “due diligence” investigation or inquiry with respect to the ETF in connection with the offering of your note. Furthermore, we do not know whether all events occurring before the date of this pricing supplement — including events that would affect the accuracy or completeness of the publicly available documents referred to above and the trading price of shares of the ETF — have been publicly disclosed. Subsequent disclosure of any events of this kind or the disclosure of or failure to disclose material future events concerning the ETF could affect the value you will receive at maturity and, therefore, the market value of your note.
Neither we nor any of our affiliates make any representation to you as to the performance of the ETF.
We or any of our affiliates may currently or from time to time engage in business with the trust, including making loans to or equity investments in the trust or providing advisory services to the trust, including merger and acquisition advisory services. In the course of that business, we or any of our affiliates may acquire non-public information about the trust and, in addition, one or more of our affiliates may publish research reports about the ETF. As an investor in a note, you should undertake such independent investigation of the trust as in your judgment is appropriate to make an informed decision with respect to an investment in a note.
The Index Stocks
Where Information About the Index Stock Issuers Can Be Obtained
The index stocks are registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Companies with securities registered under the Exchange Act are required to file financial and other information specified by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) periodically. Information filed by the index stock issuers with the SEC electronically can be reviewed through a website maintained by the SEC. The address of the SEC’s website is sec.gov.
Information about the index stock issuers may also be obtained from other sources such as press releases, newspaper articles and other publicly available documents.
We do not make any representation or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any materials referred to above, including any filings made by the index stock issuers with the SEC.
We Obtained the Information About the Index Stock Issuers From the Index Stock Issuers’ Public Filings
This pricing supplement relates only to your note and does not relate to the index stocks or other securities of the index stock issuers. We have derived all information about the index stock issuers in this pricing supplement from the publicly available information referred to in the preceding subsection. We have not participated in the preparation of any of those documents or made any “due diligence” investigation or inquiry with respect to the index stock issuers in connection with the offering of your note. Furthermore, we do not know whether all events occurring before the date of this pricing supplement — including events that would affect the accuracy or completeness of the publicly available documents referred to above and the trading price of shares of the index stocks — have been publicly disclosed. Subsequent disclosure of any events of this kind or the disclosure of or failure to disclose material future events concerning the index stock issuers could affect the value you will receive at maturity and, therefore, the market value of your note.
Neither we nor any of our affiliates make any representation to you as to the performance of the index stocks.
We or any of our affiliates may currently or from time to time engage in business with the index stock issuers, including making loans to or equity investments in the index stock issuers or providing advisory services to the index stock issuers, including merger and acquisition advisory services. In the course of that business, we or any of our affiliates may acquire non-public information about the index stock issuers and, in addition, one or more of our affiliates may publish research reports about the index stock issuers. As an investor in a note, you should undertake such independent investigation of the index stock issuers as in your judgment is appropriate to make an informed decision with respect to an investment in a note.
Historical Closing Levels of the Underliers
The closing levels of the underliers have fluctuated in the past and may, in the future, experience significant fluctuations. In particular, the underliers have recently experienced extreme and unusual volatility. Any historical upward or downward trend in the closing level of any underlier during the period shown below is not an indication that such underlier is more or less likely to increase or decrease at any time during the life of your notes.
You should not take the historical closing levels of an underlier as an indication of the future performance of an underlier, including because of the recent volatility described above. We cannot give you any assurance that the future performance of any underlier or the underlier stocks will result in you receiving the outstanding face amount of your notes on the stated maturity date.
Neither we nor any of our affiliates make any representation to you as to the performance of the underliers. Before investing in the offered notes, you should consult publicly available information to determine the relevant underlier levels between the date of this pricing supplement and the date of your purchase of the offered notes and, given the recent volatility described above, you should pay particular attention to recent levels of the underliers. The actual performance of an underlier over the life of the offered notes, as well as the cash settlement amount at maturity may bear little relation to the historical levels shown below.
The graphs below, except where otherwise indicated, show the daily historical closing levels of each underlier from January 1, 2019 through December 18, 2024, adjusted for corporate events, if applicable. As a result, the following graphs do not reflect the global financial crisis which began in 2008, which had a materially negative impact on the price of most equity securities and, as a result, the level of most equity ETFs. We obtained the levels in the graphs below from Bloomberg Financial Services, without independent verification.
Historical Performance of the Energy Select Sector SPDR® Fund
According to publicly available information, NVIDIA Corporation is a full-stack computing infrastructure company with data-center-scale offerings. Information filed with the SEC by the index stock issuer under the Exchange Act can be located by referencing its SEC file number 000-23985. The daily historical closing prices for NVIDIA Corporation in the graph below have been adjusted for a 4-for-1 stock split that became effective before the market open on July 20, 2021 and a 10-for-1 stock split that became effective before the market open on June 10, 2024.
Historical Performance of NVIDIA Corporation
According to publicly available information, CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. operates a platform designed for cybersecurity consolidation. Information filed with the SEC by the index stock issuer under the Exchange Act can be located by referencing its SEC file number 001-38933. The graph below shows the daily historical prices of CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. from the completion of its initial public offering on June 12, 2019 through December 18, 2024.
Historical Performance of CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc.
SUPPLEMENTAL DISCUSSION OF U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES
The following section supplements the discussion of U.S. federal income taxation in the accompanying prospectus.
The following section is the opinion of Sidley Austin llp, counsel to GS Finance Corp. and The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. It applies to you only if you hold your notes as a capital asset for tax purposes. This section does not apply to you if you are a member of a class of holders subject to special rules, such as:
●a dealer in securities or currencies;
●a trader in securities that elects to use a mark-to-market method of accounting for your securities holdings;
●a life insurance company;
●a regulated investment company;
●an accrual method taxpayer subject to special tax accounting rules as a result of its use of financial statements;
●a tax-exempt organization;
●a person that owns a note as a hedge or that is hedged against interest rate risks;
●a person that owns a note as part of a straddle or conversion transaction for tax purposes; or
●a United States holder (as defined below) whose functional currency for tax purposes is not the U.S. dollar.
This section is based on the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, its legislative history, existing and proposed regulations under the Internal Revenue Code, published rulings and court decisions, all as currently in effect. These laws are subject to change, possibly on a retroactive basis.
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You should consult your tax advisor concerning the U.S. federal income tax and other tax consequences of your investment in the notes, including the application of state, local or other tax laws and the possible effects of changes in federal or other tax laws. |
United States Holders
●This subsection describes the tax consequences to a United States holder. You are a United States holder if you are a beneficial owner of notes and you are a citizen or resident of the United States;
●an estate whose income is subject to U.S. federal income tax regardless of its source; or
●a trust if a United States court can exercise primary supervision over the trust’s administration and one or more United States persons are authorized to control all substantial decisions of the trust.
If you are not a United States holder, this section does not apply to you and you should refer to “— Non-United States Holders” below.
Your notes will be treated as debt instruments subject to special rules governing contingent payment debt instruments for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Under those rules, the amount of interest you are required to take into account for each accrual period will be determined by constructing a projected payment schedule for your notes and applying rules similar to those for accruing original issue discount on a hypothetical noncontingent debt instrument with that projected payment schedule. This method is applied by first determining the yield at which we would issue a noncontingent fixed rate debt instrument with terms and conditions similar to your notes (the “comparable yield”) and then determining as of the issue date a payment schedule that would produce the comparable yield. These rules will generally have the effect of requiring you to include amounts in income in respect of your notes over their term based on the comparable yield for the notes, even though you generally will not receive any payments from us until maturity.
It is not entirely clear how, under the rules governing contingent payment debt instruments, the maturity date for debt instruments (such as your notes) that provide for the possibility of early redemption should be determined for purposes of computing the comparable yield and projected payment schedule. It would be reasonable, however, to compute the comparable yield and projected payment schedule for your notes (and we intend to make the
computation in such a manner) based on the assumption that your notes will remain outstanding until the stated maturity date.
We have determined that the comparable yield for the notes is equal to % per annum, compounded semi-annually with a projected payment at maturity of $ based on an investment of $1,000.
Based on this comparable yield, if you are an initial holder that holds a note until maturity and you pay your taxes on a calendar year basis, we have determined that you would be required to report the following amounts as ordinary income, not taking into account any positive or negative adjustments you may be required to take into account based on the actual payments on the notes, from the note each year:
| | |
Accrual Period | Interest Deemed to Accrue During Accrual Period (per $1,000 note) | Total Interest Deemed to Have Accrued from Original Issue Date (per $1,000 note) as of End of Accrual Period |
through December 31, 2024 | | |
January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025 | | |
January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026 | | |
January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2027 | | |
January 1, 2028 through December 31, 2028 | | |
January 1, 2029 through | | |
You are required to use the comparable yield and projected payment schedule that we compute in determining your interest accruals in respect of your notes, unless you timely disclose and justify on your U.S. federal income tax return the use of a different comparable yield and projected payment schedule.
The comparable yield and projected payment schedule are not provided to you for any purpose other than the determination of your interest accruals in respect of your notes, and we make no representation regarding the amount of contingent payments with respect to your notes.
If you purchase your notes at a price other than their adjusted issue price determined for tax purposes, you must determine the extent to which the difference between the price you paid for your notes and their adjusted issue price is attributable to a change in expectations as to the projected payment schedule, a change in interest rates, or both, and reasonably allocate the difference accordingly. The adjusted issue price of your notes will equal your notes’ original issue price plus any interest deemed to be accrued on your notes (under the rules governing contingent payment debt instruments) as of the time you purchase your notes. The original issue price of your notes will be the first price at which a substantial amount of the notes is sold to persons other than bond houses, brokers or similar persons or organizations acting in the capacity of underwriters, placement agents or wholesalers. Therefore, you may be required to make the adjustments described above even if you purchase your notes in the initial offering if you purchase your notes at a price other than the issue price.
If the adjusted issue price of your notes is greater than the price you paid for your notes, you must make positive adjustments increasing (i) the amount of interest that you would otherwise accrue and include in income each year, and (ii) the amount of ordinary income (or decreasing the amount of ordinary loss) recognized upon maturity by the amounts allocated under the previous paragraph to each of interest and the projected payment schedule; if the adjusted issue price of your notes is less than the price you paid for your notes, you must make negative adjustments, decreasing (i) the amount of interest that you must include in income each year, and (ii) the amount of ordinary income (or increasing the amount of ordinary loss) recognized upon maturity by the amounts allocated under the previous paragraph to each of interest and the projected payment schedule. Adjustments allocated to the interest amount are not made until the date the daily portion of interest accrues.
Because any Form 1099-OID that you receive will not reflect the effects of positive or negative adjustments resulting from your purchase of notes at a price other than the adjusted issue price determined for tax purposes,
you are urged to consult with your tax advisor as to whether and how adjustments should be made to the amounts reported on any Form 1099-OID.
You will recognize gain or loss upon the sale, exchange, redemption or maturity of your notes in an amount equal to the difference, if any, between the cash amount you receive at such time and your adjusted basis in your notes. In general, your adjusted basis in your notes will equal the amount you paid for your notes, increased by the amount of interest you previously accrued with respect to your notes (in accordance with the comparable yield and the projected payment schedule for your notes), and increased or decreased by the amount of any positive or negative adjustment, respectively, that you are required to make if you purchase your notes at a price other than the adjusted issue price determined for tax purposes.
Any gain you recognize upon the sale, exchange, redemption or maturity of your notes will be ordinary interest income. Any loss you recognize at such time will be ordinary loss to the extent of interest you included as income in the current or previous taxable years in respect of your notes, and, thereafter, capital loss. If you are a noncorporate holder, you would generally be able to use such ordinary loss to offset your income only in the taxable year in which you recognize the ordinary loss and would generally not be able to carry such ordinary loss forward or back to offset income in other taxable years.
Non-United States Holders
If you are a non-United States holder, please see the discussion under “United States Taxation — Taxation of Debt Securities — Non-United States Holders” in the accompanying prospectus for a description of the tax consequences relevant to you. You are a non-United States holder if you are the beneficial owner of the notes and are, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:
●a nonresident alien individual;
●a foreign corporation; or
●an estate or trust that in either case is not subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net income basis on income or gain from the notes.
The Treasury Department has issued regulations under which amounts paid or deemed paid on certain financial instruments (“871(m) financial instruments”) that are treated as attributable to U.S.-source dividends could be treated, in whole or in part depending on the circumstances, as a “dividend equivalent” payment that is subject to tax at a rate of 30% (or a lower rate under an applicable treaty), which in the case of amounts you receive upon the sale, exchange, redemption or maturity of your notes, could be collected via withholding. If these regulations were to apply to the notes, we may be required to withhold such taxes if any U.S.-source dividends are paid on the underliers. We could also require you to make certifications (e.g., an applicable Internal Revenue Service Form W-8) prior to the maturity of the notes in order to avoid or minimize withholding obligations, and we could withhold accordingly (subject to your potential right to claim a refund from the Internal Revenue Service) if such certifications were not received or were not satisfactory. If withholding was required, we would not be required to pay any additional amounts with respect to amounts so withheld. These regulations generally will apply to 871(m) financial instruments (or a combination of financial instruments treated as having been entered into in connection with each other) issued (or significantly modified and treated as retired and reissued) on or after January 1, 2027, but will also apply to certain 871(m) financial instruments (or a combination of financial instruments treated as having been entered into in connection with each other) that have a delta (as defined in the applicable Treasury regulations) of one and are issued (or significantly modified and treated as retired and reissued) on or after January 1, 2017. In addition, these regulations will not apply to financial instruments that reference a “qualified index” (as defined in the regulations). We have determined that, as of the issue date of your notes, your notes will not be subject to withholding under these rules. In certain limited circumstances, however, you should be aware that it is possible for non-United States holders to be liable for tax under these rules with respect to a combination of transactions treated as having been entered into in connection with each other even when no withholding is required. You should consult your tax advisor concerning these regulations, subsequent official guidance and regarding any other possible alternative characterizations of your notes for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) Withholding
Pursuant to Treasury regulations, Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) withholding (as described in “United States Taxation—Taxation of Debt Securities—Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) Withholding” in the accompanying prospectus) will generally apply to obligations that are issued on or after July 1, 2014; therefore, the notes will generally be subject to the FATCA withholding rules.
Supplemental plan of distribution; conflicts of interest
See “Supplemental Plan of Distribution” on page S-51 of the accompanying general terms supplement no. 8,999 and “Plan of Distribution — Conflicts of Interest” on page 127 of the accompanying prospectus; GS Finance Corp. estimates that its share of the total offering expenses, excluding underwriting discounts and commissions, will be approximately $ .
GS Finance Corp. will sell to GS&Co., and GS&Co. will purchase from GS Finance Corp., the aggregate face amount of the offered notes specified on the front cover of this pricing supplement. GS&Co. proposes initially to offer the notes to the public at the original issue price set forth on the cover page of this pricing supplement, and to certain securities dealers at such price less a concession not in excess of % of the face amount. GS&Co. may pay a referral fee of % from the concession to another dealer in connection with its marketing efforts related to the offered notes. The original issue price for notes purchased by certain retirement accounts and certain fee-based advisory accounts will be % of the face amount of the notes, which will reduce the underwriting discount specified on the cover of this pricing supplement with respect to such notes to %. GS&Co. is an affiliate of GS Finance Corp. and The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. and, as such, will have a “conflict of interest” in this offering of notes within the meaning of Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA) Rule 5121. Consequently, this offering of notes will be conducted in compliance with the provisions of FINRA Rule 5121. GS&Co. will not be permitted to sell notes in this offering to an account over which it exercises discretionary authority without the prior specific written approval of the account holder. We have been advised that GS&Co. will also pay a fee to iCapital Markets LLC, a broker-dealer in which an affiliate of GS Finance Corp. holds an indirect minority equity interest, for services it is providing in connection with this offering.
We expect to deliver the notes against payment therefor in New York, New York on December 26, 2024. Under Rule 15c6-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, trades in the secondary market generally are required to settle in one business day, unless the parties to any such trade expressly agree otherwise. Accordingly, purchasers who wish to trade notes on any date prior to one business day before delivery will be required to specify alternative settlement arrangements to prevent a failed settlement.
We have been advised by GS&Co. that it intends to make a market in the notes. However, neither GS&Co. nor any of our other affiliates that makes a market is obligated to do so and any of them may stop doing so at any time without notice. No assurance can be given as to the liquidity or trading market for the notes.
The notes will not be listed on any securities exchange or interdealer quotation system.
We have not authorized anyone to provide any information or to make any representations other than those contained or incorporated by reference in this pricing supplement, the accompanying general terms supplement no. 8,999, the accompanying prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. This pricing supplement, the accompanying general terms supplement no. 8,999, the accompanying prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus is an offer to sell only the notes offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. The information contained in this pricing supplement, the accompanying general terms supplement no. 8,999, the accompanying prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus is current only as of the respective dates of such documents.
$
GS Finance Corp.
Autocallable Underlier-Linked Notes due
guaranteed by
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
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Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC