Guess who’s back? | Calamatta Cuschieri

Everybody’s first phone is officially back on the market, and while looks are somewhat different compared to the original Nokia 3310 it should be able to deliver on its biggest selling point – battery life. Remember the days when you use to charge your phone on Sunday night, wake up to a full battery and get on with your life for a couple of days? HMD – the makers of the phone who have retained the Nokia brand – claim close to a month of stand-by time, and about 22 hours of active use.

But even though battery life is the bane of all major and minor smartphones today, don’t expect the Nokia 3310 to replace your flagship Android or iOS phone just yet. The phone will run the Nokia Series 30+ operating system, comes with an FM tuner, Bluetooth 3.0, built in MP3 player, expandable storage (which you’re going to need – the phone only comes with 16 megabytes of onboard storage), an Opera browser with support for 2.5g internet and… Snake.

What it doesn’t come with, is a touchscreen (get ready to scroll with the directional pad), GPS, Wi-Fi, and support for social networking and messaging apps. It does have a camera, but it’s nowhere near the quality of even today’s mid-range phones. Oh, and you’re going to have to re-learn typing on an alphanumeric keypad. Good luck with that!

The phone is expected to hit retail in the second half of this year, comes in four colours and should be priced at around €49. The nostalgia is strong with this one!

LSE – Deutsche Boerse merger derailing

The much talked-about merger of Europe’s top exchanges is set to fail as the London Stock Exchange has rejected the latest demands by European antitrust regulators

The much talked-about merger of Europe’s top exchanges is set to fail as the London Stock Exchange has rejected the latest demands by European antitrust regulators. The LSE was asked to sell the MTS trading platform to its smaller rival Euronext to balance things out – a request which it publicly ruled out.

The rejection casts many doubts over the planned merger with Deutsche Boerse, which had already faltered after Brexit. After the UK voted to leave the European Union, German politicians became very vocal about having the headquarters situated in Germany – a concession the LSE was not willing to make.

Furthermore, the designated head of the group – Cartsen Kengeter – was investigated by German state prosecutors for alleged insider trading. No charges were brought and Kengeter denied any wrongdoing, but the incident strained what was an already difficult relationship.

Shares in both exchanges are about 1% to 2% lower since the news, having dropped as much as 5% yesterday.

This article was issued by Andrew Martinelli, Trader at Calamatta Cuschieri. For more information visit, www.cc.com.mt. The information, view and opinions provided in this article is being provided solely for educational and informational purposes and should not be construed as investment advice, advice concerning particular investments or investment decisions, or tax or legal advice. Calamatta Cuschieri Investment Services Ltd has not verified and consequently neither warrants the accuracy nor the veracity of any information, views or opinions appearing on this website.