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

News Snapshot:

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...