Q+A: Business stress is rising - are insolvencies next?
Published April 14, 2026
Even before the latest oil price spike, business conditions were already deteriorating, with higher interest rates and weaker demand weighing on many sectors. Now, the latest Business Risk Index suggests the chance of business failures is increasing - particularly for small businesses and sole traders.
Sean Aylmer speaks with Ivan Colhoun, Chief Economist at CreditorWatch, about how oil shocks flow through to business costs and consumer spending, why SMEs are the most exposed, and what the data reveals about insolvencies.
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