Wall Street just got another sign that investment banking is picking up

Wall Street just got another sign that dealmaking is picking up as Jefferies Financial Group (JEF) reported results that beat expectations and cheered investors. The stock of Jefferies rose 7% in early Thursday trading after the company reported Wednesday evening that its investment-banking revenue in the second quarter rose 59% from a year ago thanks to its bond underwriting, IPO assistance and advice on mergers and acquisitions. “Overall, we feel very positive,” Jefferies CEO Richard Handler said in a statement. The results are a good sign for Jefferies’ bigger rivals on Wall Street that are due to reporting earnings in…