German Factory Orders Fell in May as Greece Damped Optimism

German factory orders fell in May in a sign that companies may have held back as Greece’s debt crisis cast a cloud over the euro area’s economic recovery.

Orders, adjusted for seasonal swings and inflation, slid 0.2 percent after rising 2.2 percent in April, data from the Economy Ministry in Berlin showed on Monday. The typically volatile number compares with a median estimate of a 0.4 percent drop in a Bloomberg survey. Orders increased 4.7 percent from a year earlier.