Stocks are expected to open higher Friday, with merger activity in the energy sector.

Oil and gas driller Anadarko Petroleum said today it is buying rivals Kerr-McGee and Western Gas Resources for a combined price of US$21.1 billion in cash and the assumption US$2.2 billion in debt.

In today’s economic news, orders for U.S. durable goods fell 0.3% in May, reflecting a second straight month of weakness in demand for commercial aircraft.

Durable-goods orders fell last month to a seasonally adjusted US$208.67 billion, the U.S. Commerce Department said today. Durables had fallen by 4.7% in April, revised from a previously estimated 4.4% decrease.

Here at home, Statistics Canada reported that national net worth reached $4.6 trillion by the end of the first quarter, or $141,000 per person.

The Canadian dollar opened at US89.15¢, down 0.22 of a cent.

In earnings news, Oracle reported late Thursday strong that sales growth in its applications-software business drove a 27% rise in the company’s fiscal fourth-quarter earnings.

Crude-oil prices remained above US$70 a barrel Friday, anchored by strong fuel demand, refinery glitches and jitters about the unresolved tension between the West and Iran.

European indexes rose in early action, while major Asian markets closed lower.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index fell 11.65 points, or 0.08%, to finish at 15,124.04 on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index fell 17.89 points, or 0.1%, to 15,808.81.

Toronto stocks were up Thursday, building slightly on yesterday’s triple-digit gain, on the strength of the energy and information technology sectors.

The S&P/TSX composite index moved up 17.38 points, or 0.16%, to 11,130.21.

The S&P/TSX Venture composite index rose 4.95, or 0.19%, to 2,555.85.

In New York, concerns over a possible rise in interest rates and the slowing of the domestic economy put downward pressure on the markets.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 60.35 points, or 0.5%, at 11,019.11. The Nasdaq Composite Index fell 18.22 points, or almost 0.9%, to 2,122.98, while the S&P 500 Index closed down 6.60 points, or 0.5%, at 1,245.60.