March 2: Genting Singapore, SingTel, Ezra, Ezion, Midas

Singapore shares may rise on Friday after Seoul and Tokyo stocks opened higher, as sentiment was buoyed by positive economic data in the United States and hopes that the European Central Bank's second cash injection would ease the region's financial woes.

The benchmark Straits Times Index fell 0.51% on Thursday to 2,978.84 points. Here are some stocks and factors to watch:

Genting Singapore may be in focus after the casino operator said late on Thursday it was seeking new investment opportunities after pricing $1.8 billion worth of perpetual bonds at a lower-than-expected yield.

Singapore Telecommunications, Southeast Asia's biggest telecom firm, said on Friday it has priced US$700 million ($873 million) of 5.5-year notes at 2.375%.

Oil and gas services firm Ezra Holdings said on Thursday it had sold 60 million shares in Ezion Holdings to strengthen its cash position. Ezra also said its subsea orderbook had exceeded US$1 billion ($1.2 billion) and it expects its backlog to reach US$2 billion.

Midas Holdings, which supplies aluminum components for trains, said on Thursday its joint venture company, Nanjing SR Puzhen Rail Transport, had secured a metro contract worth 526.9 million yuan ($104.3 million) in China.