Based on provisional data, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reports that price-adjusted new orders in manufacturing had increased in May 2018 a seasonally and calendar adjusted 2.6% on the previous month. For April 2018, revision of the preliminary outcome resulted in a decrease of 1.6% compared with March 2018 (primary -2.5%). Price-adjusted new orders without major orders in manufacturing had increased in May 2018 a seasonally and calendar adjusted 2.2% on the previous month.

Domestic orders increased by 4.3% and foreign orders increased by 1.6% in May 2018 on the previous month. New orders from the euro area were up 6,7%, new orders from other countries decreased 1.3% compared to April 2018.

In May 2018 the manufacturers of intermediate goods saw new orders fall by 0.6% compared with April 2018. The manufacturers of capital goods showed increases of 4.7% on the previous month. For consumer goods, an increase in new orders of 4.9% was recorded.