German industrial orders fell more than expected in January, data showed today.
But the economy ministry said it expected manufacturing to continue to grow robustly in coming months and support a solid upswing in Europe's largest economy.
Contracts for 'Made in Germany' goods fell by 3.9% in January after surging by a revised 3% in the previous month, data from the Federal Statistics Office showed.
The reading was the weakest since January 2017 and undershot a Reuters poll of analysts who had predicted a 1.6% drop.
"Despite the decline in January, the overall trend in industrial orders is pointing upwards," the economy ministry said.
It added that orders were up 0.9% in December and January compared to the previous two months.
