German Manufacturing Orders Fall In August

By Agence France-Presse Orders placed with companies in the German manufacturing sector fell in August, after rising sharply the previous month, with demand for German-made goods falling both at home and abroad, data published by the Economics and Labor Ministry showed on Oct. 6. German manufacturing orders declined by 1.5% in August from July, partially negating the 2.8% increase recorded in July, the ministry said in a statement. The ministry attributed the development primarily to a 2.1% decline in foreign orders. But domestic orders were also lower, falling by 1%, it noted. Nevertheless, using a two-month comparison to iron out seasonal fluctuations, pan-German orders were up by 0.2% in July and August combined from the figure for May and June, the ministry said. On a two-month basis, foreign orders were up by 0.4% and domestic orders were unchanged. Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2004