Insolvency-related activity in the South East has decreased slightly, according to R3, the UK's insolvency and restructuring trade body.
R3's analysis of Creditsafe data revealed a minor drop from 211 in November to 203 in December.
This figure includes administrator and liquidator appointments and creditors' meetings.
However, this number is significantly lower than October's 293, the highest figure since March 2022.
The South East's insolvency-related activities are the sixth highest in the UK, behind Greater London, the North West, East Anglia, Yorkshire and Humberside, and the West Midlands.
The findings also revealed an increase in the number of firms in liquidation that owed money to their creditors in the South East, rising from 243 in November to 273 in December.
Neil Stewart, chairman of R3's Southern and Thames Valley region, said that while December's insolvency-related figures appeared positive, the UK's businesses were facing mounting pressures and ongoing cost challenges.
Mr Stewart said: "Businesses have faced years of rising outgoings and falling margins since the pandemic, and now have to work out how they will fund further increases in wages and National Insurance as a result of the Chancellor’s national insurance plans."
"If companies in some sectors, particularly retail and leisure, did not enjoy a festive bounce in trading figures, which is largely still to be reported, I fear we will see more insolvencies in the early months of 2025."
The British Retail Consortium reported growth of only 0.4 per cent for the last three months of the year over 2023, and Barclays said consumer spending on debit and credit cards was flat in December.
Bright spots were supermarket Aldi reporting December sales 3.4 per cent up at £1.6bn and at Lidl revenue was up 7 per cent at £1bn.
However, Next has announced price rises to offset wage and tax increases.
Mr Stewart said: "We are likely to see rising living costs dictate that cautious consumer spending will continue, which, when added to increases in employer National Insurance contributions and a higher National Living Wage, is likely to lead to less investment, stifled growth, and job cuts."
"The latest statistics show that in the Southern and Thames Valley region we are faring rather better than some parts of the UK, but the economic outlook remains volatile."
The latest Creditsafe data shows a relatively static picture in the number of companies with invoices that had gone past their payment date, up slightly from 58,753 in November to 58,910 in December.
Meanwhile, the number of start-ups in the South East continues to fall, from November's 4,977 to 4,301 in December.
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