Barclays, which avoided having to ask for a Government bail-out during the recent banking crisis, is even expected to disclose next week that its wage bill has increased by more than 20 per cent after it paid out substantial bonuses to keep hold of bankers who have helped the company post a predicted £2 billion profit. Although the FTSE 100 index dropped 23.25 points yesterday to close at 4608.32, overall it finished the month up 8.5 per cent.