Lunchtime Links: If things are so much better, how soon before the hiring starts?

If you're a bank CEO, it has become de-rigueur to talk up your business. Vikram Pandit did it earlier this week, to great effect and Jamie Dimon has now done the same. Yesterday, Dimon said JPM's bond business had just had its greatest two months ever (possibly because the US government is supporting this market) and that the bank had been profitable in the first two months of this year. CEOs at Deutsche, Bank of America, BNP Paribas and Natixis have all made similarly positive noises. Whether they will lead to a resumption of hiring is another question - Yves Smith points out that Citi's 'leaked memo' this week was a little Lehmanesque.

Jamie Dimon is a dream boat (thereformedbroker)

JPMorgan launches in Kazakhstan (Financial News)

Wall Street salaries may rise as bonuses fall (Bloomberg)

US government won't be trying to micromanage banks (Wall Street Journal)

Only four months to a new job (Wealth Bulletin)

Merrill may have misled Congress (CNBC)

Did AIG's London office lose half a trillion dollars? (Mirror)

BarCap hires head of US M&A (Dealbook)

Graduates now flocking to work for a bus and train operator (Telegraph)

Solar panels in the Sahara could power the whole of Europe (Times)