German Factory Orders Collapse

MIKE BIRD

OCT. 6, 2014

REUTERS/Michael Dalder

German factory orders fell 5.7% between July and August, worse than 2.5% decline expected by economists. Orders are down 1.3% from August last year. It’s the worst single-month drop since the beginning of 2009.

Export orders were worst hit, and that matches the business surveys that suggest there’s been a knock-on effect from the war in Ukraine.

But domestic orders also dropped 2% from July. That’s following the latest manufacturing business survey, which indicated that the sector is now shrinking. 

In a note this morning, Claus Vistesen at Pantheon Macroeconomicss said: “In one line: Grim, as manufacturing slowdown deepens.”

The chart below, provided in the report, shows how factory orders and industrial production typically track each other: 

Pantheon Macroeconomics