SINGAPORE - Catch up on the morning's top business headlines in Singapore with The Straits Times Money Desk's daily update.

1. Singapore companies looking to Chinese province Liaoning for growth. Trade promotion agency IE Singapore has helped four Singapore firms - Ascott Residence Trust, Crestar Education Group, MapleTree and Q&M Dental Group - to expand their presence in the province, it said in a statement on Thursday.

2. SGX securities trading down again in June but commodities hit records. Total securities traded in June came to $20.5 billion, a 37 per cent drop compared with the same period a year ago and down 12 per cent compared with the previous month, the Singapore Exchange (SGX) said.

3. Keppel Shipyard's $917m vessel conversion contract becomes effective. The company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Keppel Corp unit Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M), will carry out an unprecedented conversion of a Moss LNG carrier into a Floating Liquefaction Vessel (FLNGV) for its client, Golar Hilli Corporation.