Economics

German Factory Orders Slide as Virus Forces Curbs on Activity

  • Demand fell 1.9% in December; more than estimated 1.0% drop
  • Decline driven by weak euro-area and investment-goods orders
Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg
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German factory orders fell for the first time in eight months after the spread of the coronavirus forced the euro area’s biggest economy and many of its trading partners into lockdowns.

Demand dropped 1.9%, damped by investment goods and orders from the euro area. Orders were still up more than 6% from the previous year.