Australian businesses are increasingly neglecting their bills, with the number of severely delinquent payments jumping 28 percent over the Christmas period. According to D&B's latest Trade Payments Analysis, the number of bills left unpaid for 90 days or more grew 20 per cent compared with 12 months ago.

Australian businesses are taking almost a full month longer than average to pay their bills, with national payment terms reaching 53 days during the September quarter 2011. According to Dun & Bradstreet's Trade Payments Analysis, two-thirds of businesses took longer than the standard 30 day period to pay their accounts.

The latest Dun & Bradstreet Consumer Credit Expectations survey found the number of consumers applying for a credit limit increase has halved since the beginning of last year. This correlates with findings that many consumers will avoid holiday spending altogether, with more than half saying they had no plans to make a major purchase over the next three months. Nearly two thirds of consumers will use their own savings to pay for additional expenses in the December quarter.

Australia has joined Europe as the only markets to record a significant increase in June quarter business failures, according to a report by credit agency Dun & Bradstreet. According to the D&B Global Business Failures Report, Australia recorded a 12 per cent increase in business failures in the June quarter, despite insolvencies around the world falling to their lowest levels in nearly four years.

Australian manufacturers are nearly five times more likely to be unable to pay their bills according to a recent analysis by credit agency Dun & Bradstreet. Over the four months to June 2011, the likelihood of severely delinquent payments in manufacturing increased by nearly 10 per cent, compared with a rise of just over 2 per cent in the non-manufacturing sector.

The latest Dun & Bradstreet Business Expectations Survey reveals negative employment expectations in the December quarter as firms negate rising wages by reducing staff numbers, with 24 percent of executives expecting wages growth to be the primary influence on their operations.

The findings from Dun & Bradstreet's latest Business Expectations Survey, which examines expectations for the September quarter, return key indices to levels seen just before the worst of the GFC and signals executives are uncertain about the start to the new financial year.

More than 145,000 businesses suffered a risk downgrade in the March quarter 2011 as rising payment terms and a weaker than expected outlook for sales and profits put pressure on cash flow. And in a sign that the risk outlook for many businesses will deteriorate further interim results for the June quarter 2011 reveal more than 62,000 firms were downgraded in April and May.These are the findings from Dun & Bradstreet's Corporate Health Watch that examines the risk profile of Australian firms. Dun & Bradstreet provides risk ratings on more than 195 million companies around the world, including three million credit active entities in Australia.

Both business start-up and failure numbers are maintaining their 2010 highs signalling that while the macro-economic environment is enticing entrepreneurs into the marketplace poor management of business fundamentals is causing financial distress. These are the findings from Dun & Bradstreet's business failure and start-up analysis for the March quarter 2011.

Business expectations have continued to decline as firms grapple with weak consumer spending and the fear of rising fuel prices, according to the latest Dun & Bradstreet Business Expectations Survey. The survey, which examines expectations for the June quarter, reveals significant declines in the outlook across most indices after record highs just six months ago.

Competition for labour and the potential impact on wages are the issues most likely to affect business conditions heading into the middle of the year as executives report an overall easing in expectations for sales, profits, inventories and capital investment after recent highs. These are the findings from the latest Dun & Bradstreet Business Expectations Survey, which examines the expectations of executives for the June quarter 2011.

The New Year looks set to bring a surge in sales and profits, with Australia's executives indicating they will deliver solid results in these areas during the first quarter. The strength of expectations in these key areas is also driving expectations for inventories and employment as firms anticipate a need to replenish stocks and take on new staff to meet the expected demand in sales.

The Christmas trading period looks set to provide the stimulus Australian businesses need to generate strong growth, with the latest Dun & Bradstreet Business Expectations Survey revealing that executives are confident they will deliver on six key indicators of business strength.

Access to business credit is critical to continuing Australia's resurgence, with signs the impact of tighter lending conditions  are being felt by many firms.

Sixteen countries around the globe have had their country ratings downgraded since the start of 2010, demonstrating that economic and commercial risk are still prevalent despite the global recovery. However, the continuing improvement in the local macroeconomic environment has resulted in Australia's risk trend being upgraded - the nation has also been rated one of the safest countries in which to invest globally.

The strong economic recovery and positive company reporting season is hiding a deep structural weakness for many Australian firms as new data reveals nearly half of all companies operated with negative cash flow throughout the last financial year. A concern for shareholders and creditors is that the failure rate for firms with negative cash flow is 213 percent higher than for those operating with a positive cash position. These are just two findings from new research conducted by Dun & Bradstreet.