German factory orders unexpectedly rise in April

(Sharecast News) - German factory orders rose 0.6% month-on-month in April, according to the Federal Statistical Office, defying expectations of a 1.0% drop following March's downwardly revised 3.6% gain. Orders for computer, electronic, and optical products surged 21.5% as a result of several large-scale orders, while demand was also higher for aircraft, ships, trains, and fabricated metal products, up 7.1% and 4.4%, respectively.

However, orders for electrical equipment were down 9.2% month-on-month, while machinery and equipment orders fell 4.2%, and pharmaceuticals orders dropped 14.1%.

Capital goods orders rose 4.1%, while intermediate and consumer goods orders shrank 3.4% and 5.9%, respectively.

Domestic orders grew 2.2%, offsetting a 0.3% dip in foreign orders, with euro-area demand up 0.5% and non-euro-area orders sinking 0.9% month-on-month. Excluding large-scale orders, orders increased 0.3%.

On a less volatile three-month basis, orders rose 0.5%, indicating that the impact of Donald Trump's so-called "Liberation Day" tariffs was yet to be felt.





Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com