In the order books of machine builders in Germany, August again brought growth. Overall, orders increased by 7 percent in real terms compared with the previous year. Domestic demand was up 8 percent in real terms, seamlessly following the good results of previous months. Foreign orders also increased noticeably, albeit somewhat less dynamically, rising by 6 percent. "This was due to demand from the euro partner countries, which stagnated in August, while 8 percent more orders were received from non-euro countries. However, the euro countries are also on a growth course this year. Their incoming orders reached a plus of 4 percent in the first eight months", explains Dr. Ralph Wiechers, Chief Economist of the VDMA.
In a three-month comparison from June to August 2018, orders were 8 percent higher in real terms than in the previous year. Domestic orders increased by 10 percent during this period, while orders from abroad rose by 7 percent. Orders from the euro zone grew by 6 percent, orders from non-euro countries by 7 percent.
