New Vision-Net research suggests two-thirds of business owners think that doing business today is more expensive than before the crash, writes Christine Cullen

Three-quarters of Irish companies are under pressure from rising salary and insurance costs, according to a survey, with more than half saying high costs are forcing them to divert funds away from company growth and investment purposes, writes Geoff Percival. 

An average of nearly 1,900 new start ups were formed each month in the first half of 2017,a 6% increase, according to new figures released today.

Ostensibly booming pre-Christmas retail sales data capped a good week for the economy, as surveys on the services industry and start-ups pointed to a good start for 2017.

Almost a quarter of shoppers plan to travel over the border to the North to avail of the weaker sterling.

Regional entrepreneurs are at risk of being left behind as the number of startups this year looks set to outstrip a record-breaking 2015.

John Daly takes us through the highlights form the first half of the business year.

Close to 4,000 startups were established last month as improving economic conditions encouraged more entrepreneurs into the world of business.

The number of insolvencies last month fell by almost 50% on the same period in 2014, while more new companies were established this month.

Last month saw a 45% year-on-year reduction in company failures with 89 insolvencies noted, compared to 162 in the same month last year.

Insolvencies in some parts of the country have nosedived by more than 50% in the past month despite a quarterly nationwide increase, two reports indicate.

Fresh calls have been made for a solution to the consumer debt problem, with new figures showing a 56% year-on-year increase in money awarded to the banks in bad debt court judgments in the first quarter.

The first month of the year saw a 16% increase in new companies being formed in Ireland, with a total of 3,713 — or an average of 132 per day — being established.

Last year saw the highest number of company formations in seven years and the lowest number of insolvencies for five years.

This year should see more than 17,000 new company formations; the largest single-year total since 2007.

Consumers and businesses are “slowly navigating” their way out of debt, with new figures showing a marked reduction in debt judgments being registered in the courts and an increasing willingness to negotiate with and pay creditors.

This year has seen the largest number of new company establishments since 2007, with further falls in insolvency rates also noted.

Thirty-eight start-ups were set up every day last month as the total number of companies rose by more than 8% compared to the same period last year.

There are further signs the economy is recovering after new figures from Vision-net.ie show the number of company start-ups reached its highest level last month since pre-recession 2007.

Over 1,500 companies were established last month, figures show, representing a seven-year high for this time of the year.

An increase in the number of new companies established in the first half of the year, combined with a reduction in the number of insolvencies are "the hallmarks of an economic recovery", according to a business risk analysis firm.

There has been a reduction in the number and value of judgments against consumers indicating that there has been a stabilisation in the economy.

The number of new ventures continues to rise as an average of 127 start-ups were registered every day in the first quarter of 2014.

The start-up community is continuing to boom, with more than 1,500 companies incorporated in January, the highest number in six years.

There was an almost 20% fall in the number of insolvencies in all sectors across the economy this year, as over 15,000 companies were formed.

The level of corporate failures dropped by a third in October compared with the same month last year, while there was a marginal increase in the number of company start-ups over the same period, according to credit risk analysis firm Vision-net.

The number of new companies established in July amounted to 1,014 — 24% up on the same month last year and the highest figure witnessed since 2008.

An average of over 100 companies per day commenced trading in July, according to new figures.

There has been an almost 20% decline in the number of business going bust in the first six months of this year compared to the same period last year.

Half of pubs are in danger of closing, it has emerged.

Courts awarded €44m to banks, the Revenue Commissioners, credit unions and professional services companies who sought orders on unpaid debts last month.

The motor trade has been described as being among the weakest sectors of the economy.

A third of all car dealerships could be in danger of collapse, according to a survey of the industry.

Women are playing a strong role in getting Ireland's economy back on track, according to a survey carried out by vision-net.ie.

A total of 140 companies collapsed in February, but the first two months of 2013 have seen significant annualised declines in business failure rates.

The number of businesses collapsing this month is down by 32% compared to the same month last year, according to business and credit risk analyst Vision-net.

Nearly a third of retailers are in danger of collapsing according to Vision-net which has probed the accounts of more than 5,500 retailers.

Credit union branches have secured over €37m in court judgments against loan defaulters in the past three years.

Lingering personal debts will strangle cashflow and delay economic recovery, warns Christine Cullen

There was a €31 million increase in the value of court-registered judgments against debtors in the last month.

An average of almost seven Irish companies went bust every day from October 1-25, according to the latest figures from the credit risk analysis firm Vision-net.

A new website designed to inject consumer confidence back into the economy goes online today: creditcheck.ie.