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

1. Listed Singapore firms need to prepare better accounts: SMS Josephine Teo. Mrs Teo noted that a study of 257 listed companies found that only about half of them had prepared their accounts well enough such that their accounts needed just a few adjustments by auditors.

2. OCBC enters exclusive talks with Thai billionaire on UE stake. OCBC and its insurance arm GEH said the talks with Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi's TCC Top Enterprise are at a preliminary stage and the exclusivity agreement will last for six weeks.

3. Singapore signs investment treaties with Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast. The agreements aim to protect the interests of investors from the countries involved and to increase investment flows between Singapore and the two African countries.