German Factory Orders Declined in December After Surge

German factory orders fell in December after jumping five times more than economists expected in the previous month.

Orders, adjusted for seasonal swings and inflation, dropped 3.4 percent from November, when they surged 5.2 percent, the Economy Ministry in Berlin said today. Economists forecast a 1.5 percent decline for December, according to the median of 37 estimates in a Bloomberg News survey. From a year earlier, orders climbed 19.7 percent, when adjusted for working days.