German Factory Orders Fall; Economy Struggles to Recover

German factory orders fell more than economists predicted in April as Europe’s largest economy struggled to gain strength.

Orders, adjusted for seasonal swings and inflation, decreased 2.3 percent from March, when they increased a revised 2.3 percent, the Economy Ministry in Berlin said today. Economists forecast a 1 percent drop, according to the median of 39 estimates in a Bloomberg News survey. In the year, workday-adjusted orders fell 0.4 percent.