Leading US investment bank Goldman Sachs has announced a surge in profits and quarterly earnings.
It has set aside more than $US6 billion for salary, bonuses and benefits in the quarter.
The New York-based banking giant reported a net profit of $US3.44 billion for April to June and earnings of $US2.72 billion.
It set aside $US6.65 billion for salary, bonuses and benefits in the quarter, up by nearly half from the quarter ended in May last year.
The results continued Goldman's extraordinary rebound from the near meltdown of the US banking industry last fall.
Topped forecasts
Just nine months after the US Treasury bailed out the nation's largest banks with $US125 billion of taxpayer money, Wall Street's biggest surviving securities firm topped forecasts as improving markets fuelled trading profits.
It has recently paid off $US10 billion of government loans, the BBC reports.
The average Goldman employee is on track to earn more than $US900,000 this year. Chief executive Lloyd Blankfein, senior officers and star traders are likely to receive tens of millions of dollars.
Goldman shares are up nearly 80% this year, compared with a 24% rise in the NYSE Arca Securities Broker/Dealer index.
The financial crisis wreaked havoc on Wall Street last year, collapsing Bear Stearns, sending Lehman Brothers into bankruptcy, and forcing Merrill Lynch into a shotgun wedding with Bank of America Corp.
