Growth in German manufacturing orders was probably strong in April, even though the figures, which were incomplete due to public sector strikes, fell short of forecasts, Economy Ministry data showed on Wednesday.
Excluding the large state of North Rhine-Westphalia, German orders rose in April by 4.9 percent on the year, below a Reuters consensus forecast for a rise of 9.9 percent. However, the month had 3 fewer working days than the same month a year earlier.