German factory orders fell faster than expected in April, official data showed Monday, with little hope for a revival as the Iran war weighs on the economy.
New orders, a key indicator of future business activity, dropped 3.8 percent in April compared to a month earlier, according to preliminary figures from Germany's statistics agency Destatis.
A decline had been expected after a strong rise in March, when companies rushed to stock up amid supply chain problems caused by the Middle East conflict.
But the pullback was still bigger than the three-percent drop forecast by analysts surveyed by the financial data firm FactSet.
"There have been increasing signs that rising prices for energy and raw materials, together with significantly heightened geopolitical uncertainty, are resulting in weaker demand," the economy ministry said in a statement.
