The month of May is American Jewish History Month, so for this entire month I will continue share the stories of important Jewish figures in American finance. Today, I will discuss Abby Joseph Cohen who is a highly influential American economist, financial analyst, and the former Chief Investment Strategist of Goldman Sachs.
Cohen was born on February 29, 1952 and raised in Queens, New York. She excelled in mathematics and science from an early age. She earned a B.A. in economics and computer science from Cornell University and later obtained an M.S. in economics from George Washington University.
She began her career as an economist at the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, D.C., before moving into investment management. Cohen worked at T. Rowe Price and later became Vice President of Investment Strategy at Drexel Burnham Lambert. In 1990, she joined Goldman Sachs, where she became Chief Investment Strategist and later led the Global Markets Institute. She was widely recognized for predicting the bull market of the 1990s, earning her a reputation as one of Wall Street’s top strategists.
Throughout her career, Cohen has been a leading voice in financial markets, advising institutional investors and policymakers worldwide. She has been named one of the most powerful women in finance by multiple publications, including Fortune and American Banker. Her career has been the subject of a Harvard Business School case study, and she has been profiled by major media outlets.
Beyond finance, Cohen has advocated for women in business and has contributed to discussions on economic policy. She retired from Goldman Sachs in 2022 and currently serves as a professor at Columbia Business School.