Overview
- Destatis reported on Monday that real, season‑ and calendar‑adjusted orders in the manufacturing sector fell 3.8% in April compared with March, and the drop was the same when large one‑off orders were excluded.
- The decline was concentrated in autos, electrical equipment and machinery, with month‑on‑month falls of 5.3%, 16.3% and 7.4% respectively, and orders for investment, intermediate and consumer goods also slipped.
- Foreign demand weakened overall with export orders down 4.2%, driven by an 11.1% fall from the eurozone while orders from outside the eurozone rose slightly by 0.8%.
- Real manufacturing turnover edged up 0.1% in April, and March figures were revised to show a 4.5% increase that analysts say partly reflected front‑loaded purchases ahead of supply‑risk concerns about the Strait of Hormuz.
- The economy ministry and independent experts warned of challenging months ahead if energy and commodity prices stay high, noting the preliminary data are volatile and that sustained weakness in orders could slow investment and growth.