After their expectations reached a 24-year low in the previous quarter, businesses are indicating that price rises are on the agenda in the new financial year as they seek to retain profits while compensating for cost pressures and low sales growth.

Business cash flow has slowed this year, placing further strain on a range of industries already experiencing low confidence because of weak trading activity and high operating costs.

Australian businesses will keep cutting their spending this year, with expectations for capital investment, employment and new credit set to fall further.

Consumer financial stress has eased in Australia during the first quarter of the year in a further sign that economic conditions are stabilising.

Australians are demonstrating a less cautious approach to spending money, with more consumers planning to use their credit cards this quarter, while savings will be less of a focus.

Fewer executives are planning to make a capital investment in their business during the coming months, with investment expectations among Australian businesses fading in the lead-up to the middle of the year.

Australian businesses don't plan to hire new staff in the coming months, and are putting off investments, as the cost of doing business takes its toll.

An unhealthy cash flow cycle exists among Australian businesses, with 62 per cent of accounts settled late and firms taking on average, 52 days to pay their bills, according to the latest Trade Payments Analysis by Dun & Bradstreet.

Australian businesses have pulled back their profit expectations for the coming months as they anticipate modest sales activity, difficult trading conditions and subdued consumer activity.

Fewer people expect to see an increase in their level of household debt during the first few months of the year, and demand for credit remains flat, in further signs that Australians are embracing financial conservatism amid the current period of moderate economic growth.

Consumer financial stress levels are expected to remain elevated for the first three months of 2013, continuing the consumer conservatism experienced throughout much of 2012.

Australian businesses are looking to negotiate a post-Christmas spending slump through continued discounting, with the outlook for selling prices during the first quarter of this year falling to a historic low according to the latest D&B Business Expectations Survey.

The business outlook for 2013 is mixed, with Australian executives indicating that sales, inventories, selling prices and employment will fall but investment and profits will rise, according to the latest Business Expectations Survey.

Laws which affect the information that can be reported about an individual's credit history have today passed Parliament. The passing of the Privacy Amendment (Enhancing Privacy Protection) Bill 2012 will have implications for consumers, SMEs, credit providers and the economy, and it follows an extensive review and consultation process.

Business-to-business payment times have fallen by five days since the height of the global financial crisis (GFC) however cash flow pressures remain prevalent as firms are being forced to wait more than three weeks longer than standard terms to receive payment for goods and services.

One in three (31%) Australian businesses expect to boost their long-term investments in the New Year, with capital investment projections reaching their highest level in the past nine years.

Australians are set to tighten the purse strings in the lead up to Christmas, with non-essential spending expected to fall as consumer concern about financial security rises, according to Dun and Bradstreet's latest Consumer Credit Expectations Survey.

Australian businesses are indicating that discounting is the required antidote for sluggish spending heading into Christmas, with expectations for selling prices now close to the lowest level in more than two decades.

The Senate Committee has released a report on the proposed privacy reform laws.

Telecommunications providers look set to face a significant spike in bad debt as the iPhone 5 enters Australian stores, according to new research by D&B.

Privacy reform laws have now been passed by the House of Representatives. The reforms, which allow for the reporting of additional information on consumer credit files, will make it easier and fairer for Australians to access credit.

Dun & Bradstreet today announced the appointment of Mr Stephen Koukoulas as the company's Economic Advisor in Australia and New Zealand.

Retailers are preparing for a surge in consumer spending over the Christmas period, with sales expectations for the December quarter climbing to a 12-year high and profit expectations now out of negative territory.

Expectations among Australian firms soared to levels not seen in almost 10 years, with over half of businesses anticipating an increase in sales during the December quarter.

The number of Australian businesses paying their bills on time fell markedly during the June quarter, as businesses struggle with reduced cash flow.

Sentiment among local manufacturers has fallen noticeably, as half of non-durables manufacturers expect the high local dollar to have a negative impact on their business in the September quarter according to the latest D&B National Business Expectations Survey.

Despite national household savings at a 20-year high,  a third of low-income earners and a quarter of older Australians would only be able to survive for one month without a steady income, according to the latest D&B Consumer Credit Expectations Survey.

Pessimistic sales projections for the September quarter are forcing businesses to lower their earnings expectations, with one in three anticipating declining sales and a similar number expecting lower profits, according to the latest D&B Business Expectations Survey.

Dun & Bradstreet welcomes the introduction of privacy reform laws into Parliament, with the proposed changes to the Privacy Act including reform of credit reporting arrangements.

Australia is one of the safest trade and foreign investment destinations globally, ranking alongside Canada, Germany, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland, according to an analysis of 131 countries on Dun & Bradstreet's Global Risk Indicator.

Uncertainty over interest rates and continued pressure from the high Australian dollar are weighing on businesses, with executive expectations for the September quarter 2012 plummeting according to the latest Dun & Bradstreet Business Expectations Survey.

The cash flow of Australian firms is improving, with businesses paying their bills more than three days faster than 12 months ago. However,   payment days remain substantially above pre-GFC levels according to the latest D&B Trade Payments Analysis.

Retailers are increasingly concerned over the pressure staffing costs are placing on their business, saying this will have the biggest influence over their operations in the June quarter according to the lastes D&B National Business Expectations Survey.

Families and low income earners are increasingly struggling to meet their financial obligations, relying more on credit to pay the bills in the coming months. According to the latest Dun & Bradstreet Consumer Credit Expectations Survey, 41 per cent of Australian households with children will be forced to rely on a credit card to cover living expenses, up two percent since late last year.

Concern over the consistently high Australian dollar has risen significantly among local businesses, particularly those in retail and manufacturing, according to the latest  D&B National Business Expectations Survey. More than a third of businesses, up nearly 40 per cent on last month, expect the high exchange rate to have a negative impact on their operations in the June quarter.

Dun & Bradstreet will be holding its annual commercial credit management conference in March 2012, providing critical new insights into how the economy, technology, legislation and global industry trends impact credit managers over the coming year. The conference will also see the launch of D&B's Small Business Risk Score.

Australian firms recorded a dramatic lift in expectations for the June quarter, with the outlook for sales hitting its highest level in almost a decade. According to the latest D&B Business Expectations Survey, sales expectations are now at their strongest level since the December quarter 2003, well before the onset of the global financial crisis.

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.

Over half of retailers see slowing demand as the biggest barrier in the year ahead, with 56 per cent expecting online sellers to have an adverse effect on bricks and mortar retailers, according to D&B's latest Business Expectations Survey.