German industrial orders plunge in ‘horrible start’ to year

Weaker foreign demand drove a bigger-than-expected drop in German industrial orders in January, suggesting that busy factories in Europe’s largest economy could shift into a lower gear in the coming months.

Christmas and New Year factory closures that extended well into January played a part, and commentators warned against reading too much into one month’s data.

Contracts for Germanmade goods fell by 3.9 per cent on the month in January after a downwardly revised leap of 3.0 per cent in December, the Federal Statistics Office said on Thursday.

The reading was the weakest since January 2017 and the fall was bigger than the 1.6 percent drop predicted in a Reuters poll of analysts. Excluding big-ticket items, orders were still down 2.4 per cent on the month.

“German new orders had a horrible start to the new year,” ING economist Carsten Brzeski said.

He stressed that economic fundamentals remained good and order books were still filled though, adding: “German industry does not look at risk of faltering anytime soon.”

The economy ministry said the overall trend in industrial orders was still pointing upwards despite the drop in January, adding that bookings were up 0.9 percent in December and January compared to the previous two months.

Industrial orders rose 8.2 per cent on the year in January, the ministry said, adding that surveys are suggesting the global recovery will continue. “So German industry is likely to continue its positive development,” it said.