Singapore shares may open higher on Friday after Wall Street rose overnight as economic bellwether FedEx offered a bullish profit outlook that augured well for broad growth

Singapore’s benchmark Straits Times Index <.FTSTI> edged 0.01% higher on Thursday to 3,147.67 points. Here are some stocks and factors to watch:

Noble Group (NOBG.SI), Asia’s largest commodities trader, may be in focus after it said it had signed a deal to take over two mills owned by Brazilian sugar and ethanol group Cerradinho, a Brazilian newspaper reported on Thursday.

Olam International: The supplier of agricultural commodities backed by Singapore’s Temasek Holdings Pte may enter the carbon credits market after it completes the acquisition of a timber project in the republics of Congo and Gabon, Robert Hunink, head of Olam’s wood products business, said.

Singapore-listed shipbuilder STX OSV (STXO.SI) said on Friday it had secured a contract worth NOK600 million ($132.4 million) to design and construct an offshore subsea construction vessel for an undisclosed international customer. (D:nSNZ4rRGhk)

Contel Corporation (COCP.SI), a Singapore-listed Chinese digital media products maker, said on Thursday it had proposed an acquisition of Solar Silicon Resources Group, a unit of AuzMinerals Resource Group, for US$1.2 billion ($1.6 billion) through an exchange of shares.

Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Holdings (YZJ SP): The largest Chinese shipyard listed in Singapore said it agreed to buy Jiangsu Zhongzhou Marine Equipment Co. for 420 million yuan ($82.8 million).

Nera Telecommunications (NERA.SI) said on Thursday it had received purchase orders worth around $6.6 million from a global telecom operator for the maintenance of network equipment.

ISDN Holdings (ISDN SP): The supplier of industrial tools and services said it won a contract to build road and port facilities to transport bauxite, which is used in aluminum production, from Kalimantan, Indonesia.

Bulk-shipping companies: The Baltic Dry Index, which measures the cost of shipping commodities, fell 0.9% in London yesterday, extending its eight-day drop to 6.9%. Cosco Corp. Singapore (COS SP), a China-based shipbuilder that also operates bulk carriers, dropped 1.4% to $2.08. STX Pan Ocean Co. (STX SP), South Korea’s biggest bulk carrier, rose 1.4% to $13.30.