Weaker Foreign Demand Sinks German Industrial Orders in October

Weaker Foreign Demand Sinks German Industrial Orders in October
Staff wear protective masks at the Volkswagen assembly line in Wolfsburg, Germany, on April 27, 2020. Swen Pfoertner/Pool via Reuters
Reuters
Updated:

BERLIN—Weaker demand from abroad drove a much bigger than expected drop in German industrial orders, including cars, in October, data showed on Monday, further clouding the growth outlook for manufacturers in Europe’s largest economy.

A pandemic-related scarcity of microchips and other electronic components has caused massive supply bottlenecks and production problems in Germany’s mighty automobile industry and other important sectors of the economy.