Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2)

Registration Statement No. 333-253421

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.

 

 

Subject to Completion. Dated August 10, 2022.

GS Finance Corp.

$          

Leveraged Buffered Basket-Linked Notes due
guaranteed by

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

 

The notes (CUSIP: 40057MUZ0) do not bear interest. The amount that you will be paid on your notes on the stated maturity date (expected to be August 20, 2024) is based on the performance of an equally weighted basket comprised of the Health Care Select Sector SPDR® Fund and the Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund as measured from the trade date (expected to be August 15, 2022) to and including the determination date (expected to be August 15, 2024). Each basket underlier has an initial weighting of 50.00% and an initial weighted value of 100/2.

The return on your notes is linked to the performances of the Health Care Select Sector SPDR® Fund and the Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund (each, an ETF), and not to that of the Health Care Select Sector Index or the Financial Select Sector Index (each, an underlying index) on which the respective ETFs are based. The performance of any ETF may significantly diverge from that of its underlying index.

The initial basket level is 100 and the final basket level will equal the sum of the products, as calculated for each basket underlier, of: (i) its final underlier level divided by its initial underlier level (set on the trade date) multiplied by (ii) its initial weighted value. If the final basket level on the determination date is greater than the initial basket level, the return on your notes will be positive and will equal the participation rate of 1.5 times the basket return, subject to the maximum settlement amount of $1,280. If the final basket level declines by up to 10% from the initial basket level, you will receive the face amount of your notes.

If the final basket level declines by more than 10% from the initial basket level, the return on your notes will be negative and equal the basket return plus 10%. See page PS-6. You could lose a significant portion of the face amount of your notes.

To determine your payment at maturity, we will calculate the basket return, which is the percentage increase or decrease in the final basket level from the initial basket level. At maturity, for each $1,000 face amount of your notes, you will receive an amount in cash equal to:

if the basket return is positive (the final basket level is greater than the initial basket level), the sum of (i) $1,000 plus (ii) the product of (a) $1,000 times (b) 1.5 times (c) the basket return, subject to the maximum settlement amount;

if the basket return is zero or negative but not below -10% (the final basket level is equal to or less than the initial basket level but not by more than 10%), $1,000; or

if the basket return is negative and is below -10% (the final basket level is less than the initial basket level by more than 10%), the sum of (i) $1,000 plus (ii) the product of (a) the sum of the basket return plus 10% times (b) $1,000. You will receive less than the face amount of your notes.

Declines in one basket underlier may offset increases in the other basket underlier.

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-13.

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 $925 and $955 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.

Original issue date:

expected to be August 18, 2022

Original issue price:

100% of the face amount

Underwriting discount:

    % of the face amount*

Net proceeds to the issuer:

    % of the face amount

*See “Supplemental Plan of Distribution; Conflicts of Interest” on page PS-31 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

Amendment No. 1 to Pricing Supplement No.           dated         , 2022.

 


 

 

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.

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 $925 and $955 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.

 

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:

General terms supplement no. 2,913 dated June 17, 2021

Underlier supplement no. 28 dated July 26, 2022

Prospectus supplement dated March 22, 2021

Prospectus dated March 22, 2021

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.

PS-2


 

 

 

Terms AND CONDITIONS

CUSIP / ISIN: 40057MUZ0 / US40057MUZ03

Company (Issuer):  GS Finance Corp.

Guarantor:  The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

Basket underliers (each individually, a basket underlier): the Health Care Select Sector SPDR® Fund (current Bloomberg symbol: “XLV UP Equity”) and the Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund (current Bloomberg symbol: “XLF UP Equity”), or, in each case, any successor basket underlier, as each may be modified, replaced or adjusted from time to time as provided herein

Underlying indices (each individually, an underlying index): with respect to the Health Care Select Sector SPDR® Fund, the Health Care Select Sector Index and with respect to the Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund, the Financial Select Sector Index

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:  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 basket level is greater than the initial basket level, the sum of (i) $1,000 plus (ii) the product of (a) $1,000 times (b) the upside participation rate times (c) the basket return, subject to the maximum settlement amount;

if the final basket level is equal to or less than the initial basket level but greater than or equal to the buffer level, $1,000; or

if the final basket level is less than the buffer level, the sum of (i) $1,000 plus (ii) the product of (a) $1,000 times (b) the buffer rate times (c) the sum of the basket return plus the buffer amount

Initial basket level: 100

Final basket level: the sum of the following: (i) the final Health Care Select Sector SPDR® Fund level divided by the initial Health Care Select Sector SPDR® Fund level, multiplied by the initial weighted value of the Health Care Select Sector SPDR® Fund plus (ii) the final Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund level divided by the initial Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund level, multiplied by the initial weighted value of the Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund

Cap level: approximately 118.667% of the initial basket level

Maximum settlement amount: $1,280

Upside participation rate: 150%

Basket return: the quotient of (i) the final basket level minus the initial basket level divided by (ii) the initial basket level, expressed as a percentage

Buffer level: 90% of the initial basket level

Buffer rate: 100%

Buffer amount: 10%

Initial weighted value: for each basket underlier, its initial weight in the basket set forth below multiplied by the initial basket level, all as set forth below:

Basket Underlier

Initial Weight in the Basket

Initial Weighted Value

Health Care Select Sector SPDR® Fund

50%

50

Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund

50%

50

Initial Health Care Select Sector SPDR® Fund level (set on the trade date):

Initial Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund level (set on the trade date):

PS-3


 

Final Health Care Select Sector SPDR® Fund level: the closing level of such basket underlier on the determination date, subject to adjustment as provided in “— Consequences of a market disruption event or non-trading day” and “— Discontinuance or modification of a basket underlier” below

Final Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund level: the closing level of such basket underlier on the determination date, subject to adjustment as provided in “— Consequences of a market disruption event or non-trading day” and “— Discontinuance or modification of a basket underlier” below

Trade date: expected to be August 15, 2022

Original issue date (set on the trade date): expected to be August 18, 2022

Determination date (set on the trade date): expected to be August 15, 2024, unless the calculation agent determines that a market disruption event with respect to a basket underlier occurs or is continuing on such day or such day is not a trading day with respect to a basket underlier. In that event, the determination date will be the first following trading day on which the calculation agent determines that, on or subsequent to such originally scheduled determination date, each basket underlier has had at least one trading day on which no market disruption event has occurred or is continuing and the closing level of each of the basket underliers 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 dates on which the levels of one or more basket underliers are 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. On such last possible determination date, if a market disruption event occurs or is continuing with respect to a basket 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 basket underlier, that day will nevertheless be the determination date.

Stated maturity date (set on the trade date): expected to be August 20, 2024, 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.

Closing level: with respect to a basket underlier on any trading day, the closing sale price or last reported sale price, regular way, for such basket underlier, on a per-share or other unit basis:

on the principal national securities exchange on which such basket underlier is listed for trading on that day, or

if such basket 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 basket underlier.  

If the basket underlier is not listed or traded as described above, then the closing level for such basket underlier on any day will be the average, as determined by the calculation agent, of the bid prices for such basket underlier obtained from as many dealers in such basket 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 each basket underlier is subject to adjustment as described under “— Anti-dilution adjustments” below.

Trading day:  with respect to each basket underlier, a day on which (a) the exchange on which the basket underlier has its primary listing is open for trading and (b) the price of one share of the basket underlier is quoted by the exchange on which the basket underlier has its primary listing.

Successor basket underlier: with respect to a basket underlier, any substitute basket underlier approved by the calculation agent as a successor basket underlier as provided under “— Discontinuance or modification of a basket underlier” below

Basket underlier investment advisor: with respect to a basket underlier, at any time, the person or entity, including any successor investment advisor, that serves as an investment advisor to such basket underlier as then in effect

PS-4


 

Basket underlier stocks: with respect to a basket underlier, at any time, the stocks that comprise such basket underlier as then in effect, after giving effect to any additions, deletions or substitutions

Market disruption event: With respect to a basket underlier on any given trading day, any of the following will be a market disruption event:

a suspension, absence or material limitation of trading in such basket 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 basket 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 basket underlier does not trade on what was the primary market for such basket 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 the 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 basket underlier.

For this purpose, an “absence of trading” in the primary securities market on which shares of such basket underlier are traded, or on which option or futures contracts, if available, relating to such basket 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 basket underlier or in option or futures contracts, if available, relating to such basket underlier in the primary market for the basket 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 basket underlier or those contracts, or

a disparity in bid and ask quotes relating to the shares of such basket underlier or those contracts,

will constitute a suspension or material limitation of trading in shares of such basket underlier or those contracts in that market.

A market disruption event with respect to one basket underlier will not, by itself, constitute a market disruption event for any other unaffected basket underlier.

Consequences of a market disruption event or a non-trading day: If a market disruption event with respect to any basket underlier occurs or is continuing on a day that would otherwise be the determination date or such day is not a trading day, then the determination date will be postponed as described under “— Determination date” above. If the determination date is postponed due to a market disruption event or non-trading day with respect to one or more of the basket underliers, the final basket level for the postponed determination date will be calculated based on (i) the closing level of each of the basket underliers that is not affected by the market disruption event or non-trading day, if any, on the originally scheduled determination date, (ii) the closing level of each of the basket underliers that is affected by the market disruption event or non-trading day on the first trading day following the originally scheduled determination date on which no market disruption event exists for that basket underlier, and (iii) the calculation agent’s assessment, in its sole discretion, of the closing level of each basket underlier on the last possible postponed determination date with respect to each basket underlier as to which a market disruption event or non-trading day continues through the last possible postponed determination date. As a result, this could result in the closing level of differing basket underliers being determined on different calendar dates. For the avoidance of doubt, once the closing level for one or more basket underliers is determined for the determination date, the occurrence of a later market disruption event or non-trading day will not alter such calculation.

PS-5


 

Discontinuance or modification of a basket underlier: If, with respect to a basket underlier, such basket underlier is delisted from the exchange on which the basket underlier has its primary listing and the basket underlier investment advisor or anyone else publishes a substitute basket underlier that the calculation agent determines is comparable to the basket underlier and approves as a successor basket underlier, or if the calculation agent designates a substitute basket underlier, then the calculation agent will determine the amount payable on the stated maturity date, as applicable, by reference to such successor basket underlier.

If the calculation agent determines that the basket underlier is delisted or withdrawn from the exchange on which the basket underlier has its primary listing and there is no successor basket underlier, the calculation agent will determine the amount payable on the stated maturity date by a computation methodology that the calculation agent determines will as closely as reasonably possible replicate the basket underlier.

If the calculation agent determines that the basket underlier, the basket underlier stocks comprising such basket underlier or the method of calculating such basket underlier is changed at any time in any respect — including any split or reverse split of the basket underlier, a material change in the investment objective of the basket underlier and any addition, deletion or substitution and any reweighting or rebalancing of the basket underlier stocks and whether the change is made by the basket underlier investment advisor under its existing policies or following a modification of those policies, is due to the publication of a successor basket underlier, is due to events affecting one or more of the basket 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 the basket underlier or the method of its calculation as it believes are appropriate to ensure that the level of the basket underlier used to determine the amount payable on the stated maturity date is equitable.

All determinations and adjustments to be made by the calculation agent with respect to a basket underlier 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:  the calculation agent will have discretion to adjust the closing level of a basket underlier if certain events occur (including those described above under “— Discontinuance or modification of a basket underlier”). 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 basket underlier or any other term. The calculation agent shall have no obligation to make an adjustment for any such event.

Calculation agent: Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (“GS&Co.”)

Tax characterization: The holder, on behalf of itself and any other person having a beneficial interest in this note, hereby agrees with the company (in the absence of a change in law, an administrative determination or a judicial ruling to the contrary) to characterize this note for all U.S. federal income tax purposes as a pre-paid derivative contract in respect of the basket underliers.

Overdue principal rate: the effective Federal Funds rate

 


PS-6


 

HYPOTHETICAL 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 merely are intended to illustrate the impact that the various hypothetical basket closing levels or hypothetical closing levels of the basket underliers, as applicable, on the determination date could have on the cash settlement amount at maturity assuming all other variables remain constant.

The examples below are based on a range of final basket levels and closing levels of the basket underliers that are entirely hypothetical; no one can predict what the level of the basket will be on any day throughout the life of your notes, and no one can predict what the final basket level will be on the determination date. The basket underliers have been highly volatile in the past — meaning that the levels of the basket underliers have changed considerably in relatively short periods — and their performances 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 the stated maturity date. If you sell your notes in a secondary market prior to the stated maturity date, 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 basket 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-13 of this pricing supplement. The information in the examples also reflects the key terms and assumptions in the box below.


Key Terms and Assumptions

Face amount

$1,000

Upside participation rate

150%

Cap level

approximately 118.667% of the initial basket level

Maximum settlement amount

$1,280

Initial basket level

100

Buffer level

90% of the initial basket level

Buffer rate

100%

Buffer amount

10%

Neither a market disruption event nor a non-trading day occurs with respect to any basket underlier on the originally scheduled determination date

No change in or affecting any of the basket underlier stocks, the policies of the applicable basket underlier investment advisor or the method by which the applicable underlying index sponsor calculates its underlying index

Notes purchased on original issue date at the face amount and held to the stated maturity date

 

Moreover, we have not yet set the initial levels of the basket underliers that will serve as the baselines for determining the basket return and the amount that we will pay on your notes at maturity. We will not do so until the trade date. As a result, the actual initial levels of the basket underliers may differ substantially from their levels prior to the trade date.

For these reasons, the actual performance of the basket over the life of your notes, as well as the amount payable at maturity may bear little relation to the hypothetical examples shown below or to the historical levels of each basket underlier shown elsewhere in this pricing supplement. For information about the

PS-7


 

historical levels of each basket underlier during recent periods, see “The Basket and the Basket Underliers — Historical Closing Levels of the Basket Underliers” below. Before investing in the offered notes, you should consult publicly available information to determine the levels of the basket underliers between the date of this pricing supplement and the date of your purchase of the offered 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 basket underliers.

The levels in the left column of the table below represent hypothetical final basket levels and are expressed as percentages of the initial basket level. The amounts in the right column represent the hypothetical cash settlement amounts, based on the corresponding hypothetical final basket level, 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 basket level and the assumptions noted above.

 

Hypothetical Final Basket Level
(as Percentage of Initial Basket Level)

Hypothetical Cash Settlement Amount

 

(as Percentage of Face Amount)

175.000%

128.000%

150.000%

128.000%

118.667%

128.000%

110.000%

115.000%

105.000%

107.500%

100.000%

100.000%

95.000%

100.000%

90.000%

100.000%

80.000%

90.000%

50.000%

60.000%

25.000%

35.000%

0.000%

10.000%

 

If, for example, the final basket level were determined to be 25.000% of the initial basket level, the cash settlement amount that we would deliver on your notes at maturity would be 35.000% 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 lose 65.000% of your investment (if you purchased your notes at a premium to face amount you would lose a correspondingly higher percentage of your investment). In addition, if the final basket level were determined to be 175.000% of the initial basket level, the cash settlement amount that we would deliver on your notes at maturity would be capped at the maximum settlement amount, or 128.000% of each $1,000 face amount of your notes, as shown in the table above. As a result, if you held your notes to the stated maturity date, you would not benefit from any increase in the final basket level over approximately 118.667% of the initial basket level.

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 basket level were any of the hypothetical levels shown on the horizontal axis. The hypothetical cash settlement amounts in the chart are expressed as percentages of the face amount of your notes and the hypothetical final basket levels are expressed as percentages of the initial basket level. The chart shows that any hypothetical final basket level of less than 90.000% (the section left of the 90.000% marker on the horizontal axis) would result in a hypothetical cash settlement amount of less than 100.000% of the face amount of your notes (the section below the 100.000% marker on the vertical axis) and, accordingly, in a loss of principal to the holder of the notes. The chart also shows that any hypothetical final basket level of greater than or equal to approximately 118.667% (the section right of the 118.667% marker on the horizontal axis) would result in a capped return on your investment.

PS-8


 

The following examples illustrate the hypothetical cash settlement amount at maturity for each note based on hypothetical final levels of the basket underliers, calculated based on the key terms and assumptions above. The percentages in Column A represent hypothetical final levels for each basket underlier, in each case expressed as a percentage of its initial level. The amounts in Column B represent the applicable initial weighted value for each basket underlier, and the amounts in Column C represent the products of the percentages in Column A times the corresponding amounts in Column B. The final basket level for each example is shown beneath each example, and will equal the sum of the products shown in Column C. The basket return for each example is shown beneath the final basket level for such example, and will equal the quotient of (i) the final basket level for such example minus the initial basket level divided by (ii) the initial basket level, expressed as a percentage. The values below have been rounded for ease of analysis.

 


PS-9


 

 

Example 1: The final basket level is greater than the cap level. The cash settlement amount equals the maximum settlement amount.

 

Column A

Column B

Column C

 

 

 

 

Basket Underlier

Hypothetical Final Level (as Percentage of Initial Level)

Initial Weighted Value

Column A x

Column B

Health Care Select Sector SPDR® Fund

190.00%

50.00

95.00

Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund

190.00%

50.00

95.00

 

 

 

 

 

 

Final Basket Level:

190.00

 

 

Basket Return:

90.00%

 

In this example, all of the hypothetical final levels for the basket underliers are greater than the applicable initial levels, which results in the hypothetical final basket level being greater than the initial basket level of 100.  Since the hypothetical final basket level was determined to be 190.00, the hypothetical cash settlement amount that we would deliver on your notes at maturity would be capped at the maximum settlement amount of $1,280 for each $1,000 face amount of your notes (i.e., 128% of each $1,000 face amount of your notes).

Example 2: The final basket level is greater than the initial basket level but less than the cap level.

 

Column A

Column B

Column C

 

 

 

 

Basket Underlier

Hypothetical Final Level (as Percentage of Initial Level)

Initial Weighted Value

Column A x

Column B

Health Care Select Sector SPDR® Fund

105.00%

50.00

52.50

Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund

105.00%

50.00

52.50

 

 

 

 

 

 

Final Basket Level:

105.00

 

 

Basket Return:

5.00%

 

 

 

 

 

In this example, all of the hypothetical final levels for the basket underliers are greater than the applicable initial levels, which results in the hypothetical final basket level being greater than the initial basket level of 100. Since the hypothetical final basket level was determined to be 105.00, the hypothetical cash settlement amount for each $1,000 face amount of your notes will equal:

Cash settlement amount = $1,000 + ($1,000 × 150% × 5.00%) = $1,075

 

PS-10


 

 

Example 3: The final basket level is less than the initial basket level, but greater than the buffer level. The cash settlement amount equals the $1,000 face amount.

 

Column A

Column B

Column C

 

 

 

 

Basket Underlier

Hypothetical Final Level (as Percentage of Initial Level)

Initial Weighted Value

Column A x

Column B

Health Care Select Sector SPDR® Fund

95.00%

50.00

47.50

Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund

95.00%

50.00

47.50

 

 

 

 

 

 

Final Basket Level:

95.00

 

 

Basket Return:

-5.00%

 

In this example, all of the hypothetical final levels for the basket underliers are less than the applicable initial levels, which results in the hypothetical final basket level being less than the initial basket level of 100. Since the hypothetical final basket level of 95.00 is greater than the buffer level of 90% of the initial basket level but less than the initial basket level of 100, the hypothetical cash settlement amount for each $1,000 face amount of your notes will equal the face amount of the note, or $1,000.

Example 4: The final basket level is less than the buffer level. The cash settlement amount is less than the $1,000 face amount.

 

Column A

Column B

Column C

 

 

 

 

Basket Underlier

Hypothetical Final Level (as Percentage of Initial Level)

Initial Weighted Value

Column A x

Column B

Health Care Select Sector SPDR® Fund

30.00%

50.00

15.00

Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund

105.00%

50.00

52.50

 

 

 

 

 

 

Final Basket Level:

67.50

 

 

Basket Return:

-32.50%

 

In this example, the hypothetical final level of the Health Care Select Sector SPDR® Fund is less than its initial level, while the hypothetical final level of the Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund is greater than its initial level.

In this example, the large decline in the Health Care Select Sector SPDR® Fund results in the hypothetical final basket level being less than the initial basket level even though the Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund increased.

Since the hypothetical final basket level of 67.50 is less than the buffer level of 90% of the initial basket level, the hypothetical cash settlement amount for each $1,000 face amount of your notes will equal:

Cash settlement amount = $1,000 + ($1,000 × 100% × (-32.50% + 10%)) = $775.00

PS-11


 

Example 5: The final basket level is less than the buffer level. The cash settlement amount is less than the $1,000 face amount.

 

Column A

Column B

Column C

 

 

 

 

Basket Underlier

Hypothetical Final Level (as Percentage of Initial Level)

Initial Weighted Value

Column A x

Column B

Health Care Select Sector SPDR® Fund

50.00%

50.00

25.00

Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund

50.00%

50.00

25.00

 

 

 

 

 

 

Final Basket Level:

50.00

 

 

Basket Return:

-50.00%

In this example, the hypothetical final levels for all of the basket underliers are less than the applicable initial levels, which results in the hypothetical final basket level being less than the initial basket level of 100. Since the hypothetical final basket level of 50.00 is less than the buffer level of 90% of the initial basket level, the cash settlement amount for each $1,000 face amount of your notes will equal:

Cash settlement amount = $1,000 + ($1,000 × 100% × (-50% + 10%)) = $600

The cash settlement amounts shown above are entirely hypothetical; they are based on market prices for the basket underlier stocks 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 cash settlement 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 cash settlement 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-16.

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.

 

We cannot predict the actual final basket level or what the market value of your notes will be on any particular trading day, nor can we predict the relationship between the level of each basket underlier and the market value of your notes at any time prior to the stated maturity date. The actual amount that you will receive at maturity and the rate of return on the offered notes will depend on the actual initial level of each basket underlier, which we will set on the trade date, and the actual basket return determined by the calculation agent as described above. Moreover, the assumptions on which the hypothetical returns are based may turn out to be inaccurate. Consequently, the amount of cash to be paid in respect of your notes on the stated maturity date may be very different from the hypothetical cash settlement amounts shown in the examples above.

 

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ADDITIONAL RISK FACTORS SPECIFIC TO YOUR NOTES

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, under “Additional Risk Factors Specific to the Securities” in the accompanying underlier supplement no. 28 and under “Additional Risk Factors Specific to the Notes” in the accompanying general terms supplement no. 2,913. 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, the accompanying underlier supplement no. 28 and the accompanying general terms supplement no. 2,913. Your notes are a riskier investment than ordinary debt securities. Also, your notes are not equivalent to investing directly in the basket underlier stocks, i.e., with respect to a basket underlier to which your notes are linked, the stocks comprising such basket 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).  

PS-13

 


 

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. 2,913.

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 the basket underliers, 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 Payable on Your Notes Is Not Linked to the Level of Each Basket Underlier at Any Time Other Than the Determination Date

The final basket level will be based on the closing levels of the basket underliers on the determination date (subject to adjustment as described elsewhere in this pricing supplement). Therefore, if the closing levels of the basket underliers 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 basket underliers prior to such drop in the levels of the basket underliers. Although the actual levels of the basket underliers on the stated maturity date or at other times during the life of your notes may be higher than the closing levels of the basket underliers on the determination date, you will not benefit from the closing levels of the basket underliers at any time other than on the determination date.

You May Lose a Substantial Portion of Your Investment in the Notes

You can lose a substantial portion of your investment in the notes. The cash payment on your notes on the stated maturity date will be based on the performance of a weighted basket, comprised of the basket underliers, as measured from the initial basket level of 100 to the final basket level on the determination date. If the final basket level for your notes is less than the buffer level, you will have a loss for each $1,000 of the face amount of your notes equal to the product of (i) the sum of the basket return plus the buffer amount times (ii) $1,000. Thus, you may lose a substantial portion of your investment in the notes, which would include any premium to face amount you paid when you purchased the notes.

Also, the market price of your notes prior to the stated maturity date 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 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 levels of the basket underliers;

the volatility – i.e., the frequency and magnitude of changes – in the closing levels of the basket underliers;

the dividend rates of the basket underlier stocks;

economic, financial, regulatory, political, military, public health and other events that affect stock markets generally and the basket underlier stocks, and which may affect the closing levels of the basket underliers;

interest rates and yield rates in the market;

the time remaining until your notes mature; and

PS-14

 


 

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 basket underliers based on their historical performance.

 

Your Notes Do Not Bear Interest

You will not receive any interest payments on your notes. As a result, even if the cash settlement amount payable for your notes on the stated maturity date 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 Potential for the Value of Your Notes to Increase Will Be Limited

Your ability to participate in any change in the value of the basket over the life of your notes will be limited because of the maximum settlement amount. The maximum settlement amount will limit the cash settlement amount you may receive for each of your notes at maturity, no matter how much the level of the basket may rise beyond the cap level over the life of your notes. Accordingly, the amount payable for each of your notes may be significantly less than it would have been had you invested directly in the basket or any of the basket underliers.

The Lower Performance of One Basket Underlier May Offset an Increase in the Other Basket Underliers

Declines in the level of one basket underlier may offset increases in the levels of the other basket underliers. As a result, any return on the basket — and thus on your notes — may be reduced or eliminated, which will have the effect of reducing the amount payable in respect of your notes at maturity.

You Will Have Limited Anti-dilution Protection

GS&Co., as calculation agent for your notes, may adjust the closing levels of the basket underliers for certain events that may affect the basket underliers, but only in the situations we describe in “Terms and Conditions - Anti-dilution Adjustments”. The calculation agent will not be required to make an adjustment for every event that may affect the basket underliers and will have broad discretion to determine whether and to what extent an adjustment is required.

The Return on Your Notes Will Not Reflect Any Dividends Paid on the Basket Underliers or the Basket Underlier Stocks

The return on your notes will not reflect the return you would realize if you actually owned the basket underliers and received the distributions paid on the shares of the basket underliers. You will not receive any dividends that may be paid on any of the basket underlier stocks by the basket underlier stock issuers or the shares of the basket underliers. See “-You Have No Shareholder Rights or Rights to Receive Any Shares of a Basket Underlier or Any Basket Underlier Stocks” below for additional information.

You Have No Shareholder Rights or Rights to Receive Any Shares of a Basket Underlier or Any Basket Underlier Stocks

Investing in your notes will not make you a holder of any shares of any basked underlier or any basket underlier stocks. Neither you nor any other holder or owner of your notes will have any rights with respect to a basked underlier or any basket underlier stocks, including any voting rights, any right to receive dividends or other distributions, any rights to make a claim against any basked underlier or any basket underlier stocks or any other rights of a holder of any shares of a basked underlier or any basket underlier stocks. Your notes will be paid in cash and you will have no right to receive delivery of any basked underlier or any basket 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 original issue price you paid as provided on the cover of this pricing supplement.

PS-15

 


 

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 cash settlement amount 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 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 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. In addition, the impact of the buffer level and the maximum settlement amount on the return on your investment will depend upon the price you pay for your notes relative to face amount. For example, if you purchase your notes at a premium, the maximum settlement amount will only permit a lower positive return on your investment in the notes than would have been the case for notes purchased at face amount or a discount to face amount. Similarly, the buffer level, while still providing some protection for the return on the notes, will allow a greater percentage decrease in your investment in the notes than would have been the case for notes purchased at face amount or a discount to face amount.

Additional Risks Related to the Basket Underliers

Except to the Extent The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is One of the Companies Whose Common Stock Comprises the Financials Select Sector Index and the Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund, and Except to the Extent GS&Co. and One or More of Our Other Affiliates Act as Authorized Participants in the Distribution of, and, at Any Time, May Hold, Shares of the Basket Underliers, There Is No Affiliation Between the Basket Underlier Stock Issuers, the Underlying Index Sponsor, the Basket Underlier Investment Advisor or the Basket Underliers and Us

The common stock of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is one of the stocks comprising the Financials Select Sector Index, and is one of the common stocks currently held by the Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund. In addition, GS&Co. and one or more of our other affiliates may act, from time to time, as authorized participants in the distribution of shares of the basket underliers, and, at any time, may hold shares of the basket underliers. We are not otherwise affiliated with the issuers of the basket underlier stocks, S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC (the “underlying index sponsor”), the sponsor of each underlying index, or the basket underlier investment advisor. As we have told you above, however, we or our affiliates may currently or from time to time in the future own securities of, or engage in business with, the issuers of the basket underlier stocks, the underlying index sponsor or the basket underlier investment advisor.

Neither we nor any of our affiliates have participated in the preparation of any publicly available information or made any “due diligence” investigation or inquiry with respect to the basket underliers or any of the other basket underlier stock issuers. You, as an investor in your notes, should make your own investigation into the basket underliers and the basket underlier stock issuers. See “The Basket Underliers” below for additional information about each basket underlier. Neither the underlying index sponsor, the basket underlier investment advisor nor any of the other basket underlier stock issuers are involved in the offering of your notes in any way and none of them have any obligation of any sort with respect to your notes. Thus, neither the underlying index sponsor, the basket underlier investment advisor nor any of the other basket underlier stock issuers have any obligation to take your interests into consideration for any reason, including in taking any corporate actions that might affect the market value of your notes.

The Policies of the Basket Underlier Investment Advisor of the Basket Underliers, SSGA Funds Management, Inc., and the Sponsor of the Underlying Indices, S&P, Could Affect the Amount Payable on Your Notes and Their Market Value

The basket underlier investment advisor of the basket underliers, SSGA Funds Management, Inc., may from time to time be called upon to make certain policy decisions or judgments with respect to the implementation of policies of the basket underlier investment advisor concerning the calculation of the net asset value of the basket underliers, additions, deletions or substitutions of securities in the basket underliers and the manner in which changes affecting the underlying index for a basket underlier is reflected in that basket underlier that could affect the market price of the shares of that basket underlier, 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 basket underlier investment advisor of the basket underliers changes these policies, for example, by changing the manner in which it calculates the net asset value of a basket underlier, or if the basket underlier investment

PS-16

 


 

advisor discontinues or suspends calculation or publication of the net asset value of a basket underlier, `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. - may determine the closing level of a basket underlier on the determination date - and thus the amount payable on the stated maturity date, if any - in a manner, in its sole discretion, it considers appropriate. We describe the discretion that the calculation agent will have in determining the closing level of the basket underliers on the determination date and the amount payable on your notes more fully under “Terms and Conditions - Discontinuance or modification of a basket underlier” on page PS-6 of this pricing supplement.

In addition, S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, the index sponsor of the underlying indices, owns the underlying indices and is responsible for the design and maintenance of the underlying indices. The policies of S&P concerning the calculation of an underlying index, including decisions regarding the addition, deletion or substitution of the equity securities included in such underlying index, could affect the level of such underlying index and, consequently, could affect the market price of shares of related basket underlier 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 Basket Underliers or That There Will Be Liquidity in Any Such Trading Market; Further, the Basket Underliers Are Subject to Management Risks, Securities Lending Risks and Custody Risks

Although the shares of each of the Health Care Select Sector SPDR® Fund and the Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “NYSE Arca”), a number of similar products have been traded on the NYSE Arca or other securities exchanges for varying periods of time, and there is no assurance that an active trading market will continue for the shares of any basket underlier or that there will be liquidity in the trading market.

In addition, each basket underlier is subject to management risk, which is the risk that the basket underlier investment advisor’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of constraints, may not produce the intended results. For example, the basket underlier investment advisor may select up to 5% of a basket underlier’s assets to be invested in shares of equity securities that are not included in its underlying index. No basket underlier is actively managed and each basket underlier may be affected by a general decline in market segments relating to the respective underlying index. The basket underlier investment advisor invests in securities included in, or representative of, an applicable underlying index regardless of their investment merits. The basket underlier investment advisor does not attempt to take defensive positions in declining markets. In addition, the basket underlier investment advisor may be permitted to engage in securities lending with respect to a portion of each basket underlier's total assets, which could subject such basket underlier 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 basket underliers are 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 basket underliers are subject to listing standards adopted by NYSE Arca. There can be no assurance that the basket underliers will continue to meet the applicable listing requirements, or that one or more of the basket underliers will not be delisted.

Each Basket Underlier and its Underlying Index are Different and the Performance of Each Basket Underlier May Not Correlate With the Performance of its Underlying Index

Each of the basket underliers will generally invest in substantially all of the securities included in its underlying index. There may, however, be instances where each basket underlier may choose to overweight one or more securities in its underlying index, purchase securities not included in its underlying index or utilize various combinations of other available investment techniques in seeking to track its underlying index. Although each of the basket underliers seeks to track the performance of its underlying index as closely as possible, the return of such underlier may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of its underlying index due to, among other things, operating expenses, transaction costs, cash flows, regulatory requirements and operational inefficiencies. In addition, corporate actions with respect to the securities included in its underlying index, such as mergers and spin-offs, may impact the variance between a basket underlier and its underlying index. For example, the basket underlier investment advisor anticipates that it may take several business days for additions and deletions to an underlying index to be reflected in the portfolio composition of the applicable basket underlier. Finally, as the shares of each of the basket underliers are traded on the NYSE Arca and are affected by market forces such as supply and demand, economic conditions and other factors, the trading prices of one share of a

PS-17

 


 

basket underlier generally differ from (and may deviate significantly during periods of market volatility from) the daily net asset value per share of such basket underlier. For these reasons, the performance of each of the basket underliers may not correlate with the performance of its underlying index. Consequently, the amount payable on your notes will not be the same as investing directly in each basket underlier or in each underlying index or in any of the respective underlier stocks or in any of the respective stocks comprising such underlying index, and will not be the same as investing in a debt security with a payment at maturity linked to the performance of each underlying index.

Additional Risks Related to the Health Care Select Sector SPDR® Fund

The Health Care Select Sector SPDR® Fund is Concentrated in the Health Care Sector and Does Not Provide Diversified Exposure

The Health Care Select Sector SPDR® Fund is not diversified. The Health Care Select Sector SPDR® Fund assets are concentrated in the Health Care sector, which means that the Health Care Select Sector SPDR® Fund is more likely to be more adversely affected by any negative performance of the Health Care sector than an ETF that has more diversified holdings across a number of sectors. Companies in the Health Care sector can be affected by, among other things, extensive government regulation and their profitability can be significantly affected by restrictions on government reimbursement for medical expenses, rising costs of medical products and services, pricing pressure (including price discounting), limited product lines and an increased emphasis on the delivery of healthcare through outpatient services. Companies in the health care sector are heavily dependent on obtaining and defending patents, which may be time consuming and costly, and the expiration of patents may also adversely affect the profitability of these companies. Health care companies are also subject to extensive litigation based on product liability and similar claims. In addition, their products can become obsolete due to industry innovation, changes in technologies or other market developments. Many new products in the health care sector require significant research and development and may be subject to regulatory approvals, all of which may be time consuming and costly with no guarantee that any product will come to market. 

Additional Risks Related to the Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund

The Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund is Concentrated in the Financial Sector and Does Not Provide Diversified Exposure

The Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund is not diversified. The Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund assets are concentrated in the Financials sector, which means that the Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund is more likely to be more adversely affected by any negative performance of the Financials sector than an ETF that has more diversified holdings across a number of sectors. Companies in the Financials sector can be affected by, among other things, business cycle fluctuations, competition, government regulation, a change in interest rates, and a change in a company’s credit rating.

The Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund May Be Disproportionately Affected By the Performance of a Small Number of Stocks

Although the Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund holds 67 stocks as of August 4, 2022, approximately 29.874% of the Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund is invested in just 3 stocks - Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Class B, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Bank of America Corp. 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 more of these companies, may have the effect of significantly lowering the level of the Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund even if none of the other stocks held by the Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund are affected by such events. Because of the weighting of the holdings of the Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund, the amount you receive at maturity could be less than the cash settlement amount you would have received if you had invested in a product linked to an underlier that capped the maximum weight of any one stock to a low amount or that equally weighted all stocks held by such underlier.

Risks Related to Tax

The Tax Consequences of an Investment in Your Notes Are Uncertain

The tax consequences of an investment in your notes are uncertain, both as to the timing and character of any inclusion in income in respect of your notes.

The Internal Revenue Service announced on December 7, 2007 that it is considering issuing guidance regarding the proper U.S. federal income tax treatment of an instrument such as your notes, and any such guidance could adversely affect the tax treatment and the value of your notes. Among other things, the Internal Revenue Service may decide to require the holders to accrue ordinary income on a current basis and recognize ordinary income on payment at maturity, and could subject non-U.S. investors to withholding tax. Furthermore, in 2007, legislation was

PS-18

 


 

introduced in Congress that, if enacted, would have required holders that acquired instruments such as your notes after the bill was enacted to accrue interest income over the term of such instruments even though there will be no interest payments over the term of such instruments. It is not possible to predict whether a similar or identical bill will be enacted in the future, or whether any such bill would affect the tax treatment of your notes. We describe these developments in more detail under “Supplemental Discussion of U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences – United States Holders – Possible Change in Law” below. You should consult your tax advisor about this matter. Except to the extent otherwise provided by law, GS Finance Corp. intends to continue treating the notes for U.S. federal income tax purposes in accordance with the treatment described under “Supplemental Discussion of U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences” below unless and until such time as Congress, the Treasury Department or the Internal Revenue Service determine that some other treatment is more appropriate. 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.

Your Notes May Be Subject to the Constructive Ownership Rules

There exists a risk that the constructive ownership rules of Section 1260 of the Internal Revenue Code could apply to your notes. If your notes were subject to the constructive ownership rules, then any long-term capital gain that you realize upon the sale, exchange or maturity of your notes would be re-characterized as ordinary income (and you would be subject to an interest charge on deferred tax liability with respect to such re-characterized capital gain) to the extent that such capital gain exceeds the amount of “net underlying long-term capital gain” (as defined in Section 1260 of the Internal Revenue Code). Because the application of the constructive ownership rules is unclear you are strongly urged to consult your tax advisor with respect to the possible application of the constructive ownership rules to your investment in the notes.

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.


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THE BASKET AND THE BASKET UNDERLIERS

The Basket

The basket is comprised of three basket underliers with the following initial weights within the basket: the Health Care Select Sector SPDR® Fund (1/2 or 50.00% weighting), the Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund (1/2 or 50.00% weighting).

Health Care Select Sector SPDR® Fund

 

The shares of the Health Care Select Sector SPDR® Fund (the “ETF”) are issued by a series of the Select Sector SPDR® Trust, a registered investment company.  

 

The ETF seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before expenses, of the Health Care Select Sector Index (the “index”).

The ETF’s investment advisor is SSGA Funds Management, Inc. (“SSGA”).

The ETF trades on the NYSE Arca under the ticker symbol “XLV”.

The company’s SEC CIK Number is 0001064641.

The ETF’s inception date was December 16, 1998.

The ETF’s shares are issued or redeemed only in large blocks of shares called creation units.

We obtained the following fee information from the SPDR® website, without independent verification.  The investment advisor is entitled to receive a management fee from the ETF based on a percentage of the ETF’s average daily net assets, at an annual rate of 0.03%.  In addition, the ETF has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan pursuant to which payments of up to 0.03% of average daily net assets may be made. The ETF also incurs other operating expenses up to an annual rate of 0.06%. As of June 30, 2022, the gross expense ratio of the ETF was 0.10% per annum.

For additional information regarding the Select Sector SPDR® Trust or SSGA, please consult the reports (including the Semi-Annual Report to Shareholders on Form N−CSRS for the period ended March 31, 2022) and other information SPDR® Series Trust files with the SEC. In addition, information regarding the ETF (including the 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 SPDR® website at ssga.com. We are not incorporating by reference the website, the sources listed above or any material they include in this pricing supplement. We have obtained all information about the ETF from the SPDR® website without independent verification.

Investment Objective and Strategy

The ETF seeks to provide investment results that, before expenses, correspond generally to the price and yield performance of publicly traded equity securities of companies in the Health Care Select Sector Index, which is comprised of companies in the Health Care sector. SSGA uses a replication strategy to try to achieve the ETF’s investment objective, which means that the ETF generally invests in substantially all of the securities represented in the index it tracks in approximately the same proportions as the index.  In certain situations or market conditions, the ETF may temporarily depart from its normal investment policies and strategies provided that the alternative is consistent with the ETF’s investment objective and is in the best interest of the ETF.  For example, if the ETF is unable to invest directly in a component security or if a derivative investment may provide higher liquidity than other types of investments, it may make larger than normal investments in derivatives to maintain exposure to the index that it tracks. Consequently, under such circumstances, such ETF may invest in a different mix of investments than it would under normal circumstances. The ETF is managed with an indexing investment strategy, attempting to track the performance of an unmanaged index of securities, regardless of the current or projected performance of the index or of the actual securities comprising the index.  This differs from an actively managed ETF, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. The ETF’s performance may be less favorable than that of a portfolio managed using an active investment strategy. The structure and composition of the index will affect the performance, volatility and risk of the index and consequently, the performance, volatility and risk of the ETF.

The ETF’s investment strategy and other policies may be changed without shareholder approval.

Notwithstanding the ETF’s investment objective, the return on your notes will not reflect any dividends paid on the ETF shares, on the securities purchased by the ETF or on the securities that comprise the index.

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Replication Strategy

The ETF uses a replication strategy to attempt to track the performance of the index.  This strategy involves investing in substantially all of the securities represented in the index in approximately the same proportions as the index.  Under normal market conditions, the ETF generally invests substantially all, but at least 95%, of its total assets in the securities comprising the index.  The ETF will provide shareholders with at least 60 days notice prior to any material change in this 95% investment policy. Also, the ETF may lend securities representing up to 40% of the value of the ETF's net assets.

Correlation

Although SSGA seeks to track the performance of the index (i.e., achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the index), the ETF’s return may not match the return of the index. The ETF incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the index and incurs costs in buying and selling securities. In addition, the ETF may not be fully invested at times, generally as a result of cash flows into or out of the ETF or reserves of cash held by the ETF to meet redemptions.

Industry Concentration Policy

The ETF’s assets will generally be concentrated in an industry or group of industries to the extent that the index concentrates in a particular industry or group of industries.  By concentrating its assets in a single industry or group of industries, the ETF is subject to the risk that financial, economic, business or other conditions that have a negative effect on that industry or group of industries will negatively impact the ETF to a greater extent than if the ETF’s assets were invested in a wider variety of industries.  

The ETF is non-diversified and may invest a larger percentage of its assets in securities of a few issuers or a single issuer than a diversified ETF.  As a result, the ETF’s performance may be disproportionately impacted by the performance of relatively few securities.

Creation Units

Prior to trading in the secondary market, shares of the ETF are issued at net asset value to certain institutional investors (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) only in block-size units, known as creation units. As a practical matter, only institutions, market makers or large investors purchase or redeem creation units.  The principal consideration for a specified number of creation units (which may be revised at any time without notice) is a basket of securities and/or cash that constitutes a substantial replication, or a representation, of the securities included in the index.  Except when aggregated in creation units (or upon the liquidation of the ETF), shares of the ETF are not redeemable securities.  There can be no assurance that there will be sufficient liquidity in the public trading market at any time to permit assembly of a creation unit.

Share Prices and the Secondary Market

The trading prices of the ETF’s shares will fluctuate continuously throughout trading hours based on market supply and demand rather than the ETF’s net asset value, which is calculated at the end of each business day. The trading price of the ETF’s shares may deviate significantly from its net asset value during periods of market volatility.

Health Care Select Sector Index

The Health Care Select Sector Index, which we refer to as the index, is comprised of the constituents of the S&P 500® Index that are assigned to the Global Industry Classification Standard (“GICS®”) Health Care sector.  The S&P 500® Index includes a representative sample of 500 companies in leading industries of the U.S. economy.  The index and the S&P 500® Index are calculated, maintained and published by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC (“S&P”). Additional information about the Health Care Select Sector Index and the S&P 500® Index is available on the following websites: us.spindices.com/indices/equity/health-care-select-sector-index/ and us.spindices.com/indices/equity/sp-500. We are not incorporating by reference the websites or any material they include in this pricing supplement. We have obtained all information about the index from the S&P website without independent verification.

S&P and MSCI Inc. (“MSCI”) jointly developed the GICS® in 1999 to establish a global standard for categorizing companies into sectors and industries. The GICS® classifies companies into four levels of detail: 11 sectors, 24

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industry groups, 69 industries and 158 sub-industries. The eleven GICS® sectors are: Communication Services, Consumer Discretionary, Consumer Staples, Energy, Financials, Health Care, Industrials, Information Technology, Materials, Real Estate and Utilities. GICS® was designed to classify a company according to its principal business activity. To make this determination, S&P and MSCI use revenues as a key measure of a company’s business activity. Earnings and market perception, however, are also recognized as important and relevant information for classification purposes and are taken into account during the review process. A company’s classification is reviewed annually at a minimum, and companies are under constant surveillance for corporate actions. The GICS® methodology itself is reviewed annually for changes or additions to the four classification levels.

S&P rebalances the index quarterly after the close of business on the third Friday of March, June, September and December (each, a “rebalancing effective date”). With prices reflected on the second Friday of March, June, September and December, adjusted for any applicable corporate actions, and membership, shares outstanding and investable weight factors (“IWFs”) as of the rebalancing effective date, each company is weighted by float-adjusted market capitalization. Modifications to the float-adjusted market capitalization of constituent stocks are made as follows.

If any company has a float-adjusted market capitalization weight greater than 24%, S&P caps that company’s weight at 23%. S&P sets the cap to 23% to allow for a 2% buffer to mitigate against any stock exceeding 25% as of the rebalancing effective date. S&P redistributes all excess weight equally to all uncapped stocks within the index. After this redistribution, if the float-adjusted market capitalization weight of any other stock(s) then breaches 23%, S&P repeats the process iteratively until no stock breaches the 23% weight cap. The sum of the stocks with weight greater than 4.8% cannot exceed 50% of the total index weight. If the rule in the preceding sentence is breached, then S&P ranks all the stocks in descending order of their float-adjusted market capitalization weights and the first stock that causes the 50% limit to be breached is identified. S&P then reduces the weight of that stock to 4.5%. S&P then redistributes the excess weight proportionally to all stocks with weights below 4.5% and the process is repeated iteratively until the 50% test above is satisfied. As part of the rebalancing process, S&P assigns index share amounts to each constituent stock to arrive at the weights calculated above. Since index shares are assigned based on prices one week prior to rebalancing, the actual weight of each stock at the rebalancing differs somewhat from these weights due to market movements. If, on the second to last business day of March, June, September or December, a company has a weight greater than 24% or the sum of the companies with weights greater than 4.8% exceeds 50%, a secondary rebalancing will be triggered with the rebalancing effective date being after the close of the last business day of the month. This secondary rebalancing will use the closing prices as of the second to last business day of March, June, September or December, and membership, shares outstanding and IWFs as of the rebalancing effective date.

Except for the rebalancing process described above and the total return process described below, the index is calculated and maintained on the same basis as the S&P 500® Index, which is described beginning on page S-106 of the accompanying underlier supplement no. 28.


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Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund

The Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before expenses, of the Financials Select Sector Index. The investment advisor of the Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund uses a replication strategy to attempt to track the Financials Select Sector Index, which means that the basket underlier generally invests in substantially all of the securities represented in the Financials Select Sector Index in approximately the same proportions as the Financials Select Sector Index.

The Financials Select Sector Index is a float-adjusted market capitalization index comprised of the constituents of the S&P 500® Index that are assigned to the Global Industry Classification Standard Financials sector.

For more details about the basket underlier, the investment advisor and the underlying index, see “The Underliers - The Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund” on page S-138 of the accompanying underlier supplement no. 28.

 

 


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Historical Closing Levels of the Basket Underliers

The respective closing levels of the basket underliers have fluctuated in the past and may, in the future, experience significant fluctuations. In particular, the basket underliers have recently experienced extreme and unusual volatility. Any historical upward or downward trend in the level of any of the basket underliers during the period shown below is not an indication that the basket underliers are more or less likely to increase or decrease at any time during the life of your notes.

You should not take the historical levels of the basket or the basket underliers as an indication of the future performances of the basket underliers, including because of the recent volatility described above. We cannot give you any assurance that the future performance of the basket, basket underliers or the basket underlier stocks will result in your receiving an amount greater than 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 basket or the basket underliers. Before investing in the offered notes, you should consult publicly available information to determine the level of the basket underliers 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 basket underliers. The actual performance of the basket and the basket underliers 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 show the daily historical closing levels of each basket underlier from January 1, 2017 through August 8, 2022. As a result, the following graph does 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 indices and equity ETFs. We obtained the levels in the graphs below from Bloomberg Financial Services, without independent verification.

 

Historical Performance of the Health Care Select Sector SPDR® Fund


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Historical Performance of the Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund

 


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Historical Basket Levels

The following graph is based on the basket closing level for the period from January 1, 2017 through August 8, 2022 assuming that the basket closing level was 100 on January 1, 2017. We derived the basket closing levels based on the method to calculate the basket closing level as described in this pricing supplement and on actual closing levels of the relevant basket underliers on the relevant date. The basket closing level has been normalized such that its hypothetical level on January 1, 2017 was 100. As noted in this pricing supplement, the initial basket level will be set at 100 on the trade date. The basket closing level can increase or decrease due to changes in the levels of the basket underliers.

 

Historical Performance of the Basket

 

 

 

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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. In addition, it is the opinion of Sidley Austin llp that the characterization of the notes for U.S. federal income tax purposes that will be required under the terms of the notes, as discussed below, is a reasonable interpretation of current law.

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 bank;

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 partnership;

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.

Although 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, no statutory, judicial or administrative authority directly discusses how your notes should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and as a result, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of your investment in your notes are uncertain. Moreover, these laws are subject to change, possibly on a retroactive basis.

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 section applies to you only if you are a United States holder that holds your notes as a capital asset for tax purposes. You are a United States holder if you are a beneficial owner of a note and you are:

a citizen or resident of the United States;

a domestic corporation;

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.

Tax Treatment. You will be obligated pursuant to the terms of the notes — in the absence of a change in law, an administrative determination or a judicial ruling to the contrary — to characterize your notes for all tax purposes as pre-paid derivative contracts in respect of the basket underliers. Except as otherwise stated below, the discussion below assumes that the notes will be so treated.

Upon the sale, exchange or maturity of your notes, you should recognize capital gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount realized on the sale, exchange or maturity and your tax basis in your notes. Your tax basis in your notes will generally be equal to the amount that you paid for the notes. Such capital gain or loss should generally be short-term capital gain or loss if you hold the notes for one year or less, and should be long-term capital gain or loss if you hold the notes for more than one year. Short-term capital gains are generally subject to tax at the marginal tax rates applicable to ordinary income.

In addition, the constructive ownership rules of Section 1260 of the Internal Revenue Code could apply to your notes. If your notes were subject to the constructive ownership rules, then any long-term capital gain that you realize upon the sale, exchange or maturity of your notes would be re-characterized as ordinary income (and you would be subject to an interest charge on deferred tax liability with respect to such re-characterized capital gain) to

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the extent that such capital gain exceeds the amount of “net underlying long-term capital gain” (as defined in Section 1260 of the Internal Revenue Code). Because the application of the constructive ownership rules is unclear you are strongly urged to consult your tax advisor with respect to the possible application of the constructive ownership rules to your investment in the notes.

No statutory, judicial or administrative authority directly discusses how your notes should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of your investment in the notes are uncertain and alternative characterizations are possible. Accordingly, we urge you to consult your tax advisor in determining the tax consequences of an investment in your notes in your particular circumstances, including the application of state, local or other tax laws and the possible effects of changes in federal or other tax laws.

Alternative Treatments.  There is no judicial or administrative authority discussing how your notes should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Therefore, the Internal Revenue Service might assert that a treatment other than that described above is more appropriate. For example, the Internal Revenue Service could treat your notes as a single debt instrument subject to special rules governing contingent payment debt instruments.

Under those rules, the amount of interest you are required to take into account for each accrual period would be determined by constructing a projected payment schedule for the 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 comparable yield — i.e., the yield at which we would issue a noncontingent fixed rate debt instrument with terms and conditions similar to your notes — and then determining a payment schedule as of the applicable original issue date that would produce the comparable yield. These rules may have the effect of requiring you to include interest in income in respect of your notes prior to your receipt of cash attributable to that income.

If the rules governing contingent payment debt instruments apply, any gain you recognize upon the sale, exchange or maturity of your notes would be treated as ordinary interest income. Any loss you recognize at that time would be treated as 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, as capital loss.

If the rules governing contingent payment debt instruments apply, special rules would apply to persons who purchase a note at other than the adjusted issue price as determined for tax purposes.

It is also possible that your notes could be treated in the manner described above, except that any gain or loss that you recognize at maturity would be treated as ordinary gain or loss. You should consult your tax advisor as to the tax consequences of such characterization and any possible alternative characterizations of your notes for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

It is possible that the Internal Revenue Service could seek to characterize your notes in a manner that results in tax consequences to you that are different from those described above. You should consult your tax advisor as to the tax consequences of any possible alternative characterizations of your notes for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Possible Change in Law

In 2007, legislation was introduced in Congress that, if enacted, would have required holders that acquired instruments such as your notes after the bill was enacted to accrue interest income over the term of such instruments even though there will be no interest payments over the term of such instruments. It is not possible to predict whether a similar or identical bill will be enacted in the future, or whether any such bill would affect the tax treatment of your notes.

In addition, on December 7, 2007, the Internal Revenue Service released a notice stating that the Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department are actively considering issuing guidance regarding the proper U.S. federal income tax treatment of an instrument such as the offered notes including whether the holders should be required to accrue ordinary income on a current basis and whether gain or loss should be ordinary or capital. It is not possible to determine what guidance they will ultimately issue, if any. It is possible, however, that under such guidance, holders of the notes will ultimately be required to accrue income currently and this could be applied on a retroactive basis. The Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department are also considering other relevant issues, including whether foreign holders of such instruments should be subject to withholding tax on any deemed income accruals, and whether the special “constructive ownership rules” of Section 1260 of the Internal Revenue Code might be applied to such instruments. Except to the extent otherwise provided by law, GS Finance Corp. intends to continue treating the notes for U.S. federal income tax purposes in accordance with the treatment described above unless and until such time as Congress, the Treasury Department or the Internal Revenue Service determine that some other treatment is more appropriate.

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It is impossible to predict what any such legislation or administrative or regulatory guidance might provide, and whether the effective date of any legislation or guidance will affect notes that were issued before the date that such legislation or guidance is issued. You are urged to consult your tax advisor as to the possibility that any legislative or administrative action may adversely affect the tax treatment of your notes.

Backup Withholding and Information Reporting

You will be subject to generally applicable information reporting and backup withholding requirements as discussed in the accompanying prospectus under “United States Taxation — Taxation of Debt Securities — Backup Withholding and Information Reporting — United States Holders” with respect to payments on your notes and, notwithstanding that we do not intend to treat the notes as debt for tax purposes, we intend to backup withhold on such payments with respect to your notes unless you comply with the requirements necessary to avoid backup withholding on debt instruments (in which case you will not be subject to such backup withholding) as set forth under “United States Taxation — Taxation of Debt Securities — United States Holders” in the accompanying prospectus. Please see the discussion under “United States Taxation — Taxation of Debt Securities — Backup Withholding and Information Reporting—United States Holders” in the accompanying prospectus for a description of the applicability of the backup withholding and information reporting rules to payments made on your notes.

Non-United States Holders

This section applies to you only if you are a non-United States holder. 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.

You will be subject to generally applicable information reporting and backup withholding requirements as discussed in the accompanying prospectus under “United States Taxation — Taxation of Debt Securities — Backup Withholding and Information Reporting — Non-United States Holders” with respect to payments on your notes and, notwithstanding that we do not intend to treat the notes as debt for tax purposes, we intend to backup withhold on such payments with respect to your notes unless you comply with the requirements necessary to avoid backup withholding on debt instruments (in which case you will not be subject to such backup withholding) as set forth under “United States Taxation – Taxation of Debt Securities – Non-United States Holders” in the accompanying prospectus.

Furthermore, on December 7, 2007, the Internal Revenue Service released Notice 2008-2 soliciting comments from the public on various issues, including whether instruments such as your notes should be subject to withholding. It is therefore possible that rules will be issued in the future, possibly with retroactive effect, that would cause payments on your notes to be subject to withholding, even if you comply with certification requirements as to your foreign status.

As discussed above, alternative characterizations of the notes for U.S. federal income tax purposes are possible. Should an alternative characterization of the notes, by reason of a change or clarification of the law, by regulation or otherwise, cause payments with respect to the notes to become subject to withholding tax, we will withhold tax at the applicable statutory rate and we will not make payments of any additional amounts. Prospective non-United States holders of the notes should consult their tax advisors in this regard.

In addition, 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 any amounts a non-United States holder receives upon the sale, exchange or maturity of the 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 basket funds during the term of the notes. We could also require a non-United States holder 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 the Non-United States holder’s 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, 2023, but will also apply to certain 871(m) financial instruments (or a combination of financial instruments treated as having been entered into in

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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.

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Supplemental plan of distribution; conflicts of interest

See “Supplemental Plan of Distribution” on page S-49 of the accompanying general terms supplement no. 2,913 and “Plan of Distribution — Conflicts of Interest” on page 129 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.

GS&Co. will pay a fee of       % of the face amount to an affiliate of the dealer in connection with certain services

provided directly by such affiliate to the dealer.

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 in connection with the distribution of the notes to SIMON Markets LLC, a broker-dealer in which an affiliate of GS Finance Corp. holds an indirect minority equity interest.

We expect to deliver the notes against payment therefor in New York, New York on August 18, 2022. Under Rule 15c6-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, trades in the secondary market generally are required to settle in two business days, unless the parties to any such trade expressly agree otherwise. Accordingly, purchasers who wish to trade notes on any date prior to two business days 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.

 

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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. 2,913, the accompanying underlier supplement no. 28, 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. 2,913, the accompanying underlier supplement no. 28, 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. 2,913, the accompanying underlier supplement no. 28, the accompanying prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus is current only as of the respective dates of such documents.

 

 

 

 

 

 

$

 

 

GS Finance Corp.

 

 

 

Leveraged Buffered Basket-Linked Notes due

guaranteed by

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 


Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC