Barclays President Bob Diamond chooses his words carefully these days. He doesn't offer a thought or an opinion that has not been considered and rehearsed.

There's good reason for this. Diamond is considered to be in line to be a chief executive either at Barclays, or another global bank. The open chief executive spot at Bank of America is the one most often mentioned. He's reportedly turned it down, but until the job is filled don't count him out. More on that later.