Berlin: Germany's real new manufacturing orders rose sharply in March, far exceeding market expectations and signaling a stronger-than-anticipated recovery in industrial demand, official data showed Thursday. New orders increased 5% month-on-month in March after seasonal and calendar adjustments, according to provisional figures from Destatis, Germany's Federal Statistical Office.

According to Anadolu Agency, the figure came in well above market expectations for a 1% monthly increase. Excluding large-scale contracts, new orders climbed 5.1% from the previous month, reaching their highest level since February 2023. February's monthly increase was revised upward to 1.4% from the previously reported 0.9%.

On an annual basis, new orders rose 6.3% in March compared with the same month last year. February's annual growth figure was revised to 3.5%. Almost all industrial branches contributed to the March increase, Destatis said. Orders for electrical equipment surged 21.5% month-on-month, while machinery and equipment orders rose 6.9%. Orders for computer, electronic and optical products increased 14.4%.

By category, capital goods orders rose 2.1%, intermediate goods orders increased 9.2%, and consumer goods orders climbed 7.3% in March. Foreign demand also strengthened, with overseas orders rising 5.6% from the previous month. Orders from the euro area jumped 10.1%, while orders from outside the euro area increased 2.7%. Domestic orders rose 4% month-on-month.

However, the less volatile three-month comparison showed total new orders were 4.1% lower in the first quarter of 2026 than in the fourth quarter of 2025, mainly due to a high volume of large-scale contracts at the end of last year. Excluding large-scale contracts, new orders rose 1.6% in the three-month comparison.