Nokia Gets Better Price

Nokia (NOK Quote) shares jumped 5% in early trading as the top cell-phone maker said average selling prices exceeded expectations in the first quarter ended last month.

The Finnish phone giant said increased sales of more expensive phones helped offset the high volume of lower-priced sets being sold in developing countries. Nokia says the average selling price per phone in the first quarter jumped 4% to $125 from $120 in the fourth quarter.

The pricing strength is a bit of a surprise given that the overall trend calls for average phone prices to fall as cheaper phones become a bigger part of the total sales volume. ...