German industrial orders rise slower than expected

German Industrial Orders See Slower-Than-Expected Growth in September 2026

Overview of German Industrial Orders in September 2026

Monthly Performance and Analyst Expectations

Nov 5 (Reuters) - German industrial orders rose less than expected in September, increasing by 4.4% from the previous month on a seasonally and calendar-adjusted basis, the federal statistics office said on Thursday, pointing to a hike in automotive orders.

A Reuters poll of analysts had pointed to a rise of 4.8%.

Key Drivers of New Orders

Automotive Industry Surge

New orders in manufacturing were primarily driven by a substantial increase in the automotive industry, which rose 10.5% from the previous month, the statistics office said.

That was in part due to a low level in new orders and production in the two previous months over production changeovers and factory holidays.

Machinery and Equipment Sector

An 8.3% growth in the manufacture of machinery and equipment also had a positive impact on orders, the statistics office said, with a large-scale order contributing.

Quarterly and Year-Over-Year Comparisons

The less volatile three-month comparison showed that total new orders were 0.2% higher in the third quarter of 2026 than in the second.

Mechanical and Plant Engineering Orders

Industry association VDMA said on Wednesday that orders in mechanical and plant engineering rose 14% in real terms in September year-over-year, but the increase was largely due to an unusually weak year-earlier comparison, and any upswing was seen as tenuous.

Revisions to Previous Data

After revision of provisional data, new orders in August declined by 10.1% on July, while the provisional reading was -10.6%.

(Reporting by Basile Day and Linda Pasquini, editing by Thomas Seythal)