The number of companies declared bankrupt in October was slightly higher than in September, the national statistics office CBS said on Friday. Nevertheless, the CBS said, the overall trend in corporate bankruptcies in the Netherlands is still downward.

A total of 288 companies and institutions, excluding one-man businesses, were declared bankrupt in October, a rise of 20 on September. Most (56) were in the trade sector.

The number of bankruptcies peaked in May 2013 and has fallen since then, reaching the lowest level since 2001 in August 2017. The slight rise in October followed a light gain in September. It is premature to say whether the hikes in the past two months reverse the trend, the CBS said.