German industrial orders buoyed by global demand

[February 06, 2012]  BERLIN (AP) -- The German government says strong demand from outside the eurozone helped the country's industrial orders rise a stronger-than-expected 1.7 percent in December.

The Economy Ministry says Monday that the monthly rise follows a revised 4.9 percent drop in November.

Economists had been predicting a 1 percent rise in December.

The figures are adjusted for seasonal factors.

The rebound was driven by a strong 12.3 percent monthly increase from non-eurozone countries. By contrast, eurozone orders were down 6.8 percent and domestic orders fell 1.4 percent.

[Associated Press]

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