Nokia CEO Stephen Elop said in February that it would take a couple of months to sign a contract with Microsoft, but some analysts believe that the deal should be signed before mid-April when Nokia is due to begin discussing the deal’s implications for its own workforce
"Negotiations have progressed very well. They will be concluded well on schedule," Kai Oistamo, head of corporate development at Nokia, said on Monday.
However, the Swedish bank Swedbank cut its recommendation for Nokia shares from ‘neutral’ to ‘cut’ today.
"We fear disappointing market share development and the crisis in Japan will lead a new set of estimate downgrades," said Swedbank analyst Jari Honko.
