Lee Simpson, European IT analyst at Jefferies International, says that Elop as an executive was already hot stuff at Microsoft, even being seen as a future CEO at the firm.

FORBES: How Microsoft's Elop Could Turn Nokia Around

"No one can question the deterioration in the sovereign balance sheet or banking system, but it seems counterintuitive to cite possible financing gaps when a large, " bond issuance was about to close, said Richard Segal, emerging market strategist at Jefferies International.

WSJ: Slovenia Bond Sale Postponed

In Britain the annual growth rate is higher (6.4% in December), but David Owen, an economist at Jefferies International, estimates that quantitative easing (QE), whereby central banks create money to buy assets, has been boosting the figure by an annualised rate of 10%.

ECONOMIST: Buttonwood

Before the results of the referendum were in, David Owen, managing director and chief European financial economist for Jefferies International, said Friday that a "no" vote from Ireland would be "bad news" for the wider eurozone, where some countries are already struggling with recession.

CNN: Ireland's voters approve European fiscal treaty

"It has been an opportune time for corporate borrowers from Eastern Europe to tap the international bond markets, with many Russian, Kazakh and Ukrainian names taking advantage of the stretch for yield to borrow in dollars for the first time since the global crisis, " says Richard Segal, emerging-market strategist at Jefferies International.

WSJ: Investors Snap Up Eastern Europe Debt