Half of small business owners expect trading conditions to remain the same for the remainder of the year, according to data released by Bibby Financial Services.

The Business Factors Index showed that 52% of small firm bosses expect trading conditions to remain the same in the short term and 10% expect the economy to have recovered by summer 2010.

However, 44% of business owners do not anticipate an imminent recovery and 19% do not expect trading conditions to improve for at least a year.

"October is always a busy month as businesses prepare for Christmas and, while the reminder of 2009 should see a broad uplift in trends as companies re-stock and find ways of capitalising on the downturn - such as taking on the supply chains of failed competitors - it's unlikely the real problems will emerge until quarter one of 2010," said Edward Rimmer of Bibby Financial Services.