SINGAPORE (Dec 24): The Dow Jones Industrial Average's rise overnight above the 18,000 mark for the first time ever may give Singapore shares at boost in early trading.

Most stocks on Wall Street ended higher after new official data showed the world's largest economy grew in 3Q2014 at an annual pace of 5%, the fastest in 11 years.

The Dow rose 0.4% to 18,024.17, the S&P 500 added 0.2% to 2,082.17 but the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.3% to 4,765.43.

In Singapore, the Straits Times Index closed little changed at 3,332.51 yesterday. The market will close at 12:30pm (0430 GMT) today.

COMPANIES IN THE NEWS:

SIIC Environment Holdings has signed a supplementary agreement with China's Wuhan municipal government to expand a wastewater treatment plant.

The total investment cost for the project is about RMB722 million ($144 million), to be funded by internal resources and bank loans.

SIIC shares ended flat at 14 cents yesterday.

Atlantic Navigation Holdings, through a joint venture, has acquired a new anchor handling tug supply (AHTS) vessel for US$12 million ($15.6 million). It now owns 16 offshore support vessels.

Separately, the company has renewed two charter contracts - one for a jack-up accommodation barge and the other for an AHTS vessel - for a year at a total value of US$18 million.

The contracts can be extended for another year, which would bring the total contract value to US$33 million.

Atlantic Navigation shares were not traded yesterday. They last closed at 36 cents.

Mapletree Greater China Commercial Trust said a claim by the original developer of Gateway Plaza, one of its properties, against its subsidiary has been dismissed by a Beijing court.

The Chinese developer had sought for the return of a RMB210 million loan plus interest.

Mapletree Greater China shares fell 0.5% to 94.5 cents yesterday. 

AusGroup has clinched a A$68.5-million ($73.6-million) contract to provide scaffolding services to a CB&I Kentz joint venture in Australia.

The deal lifts its order book to S$486 million.

AusGroup shares fell 3.1% to 31 cents yesterday.

Boustead Singapore will spin off its real estate solutions business by distributing to its shareholders up to 49% of the issued share capital of Boustead Projects, which will then be listed in Singapore by way of an introduction.

Boustead Singapore’s real estate solutions business is currently run by its wholly-owned subsidiary Boustead Projects.

Boustead shares rose 0.6% to $1.72 yesterday.