German factory orders fall

German factory orders fell for the first time in three months in November, reflecting a slow recovery of confidence in Europe's largest economy. Orders, adjusted for seasonal swings and inflation, slid 2.4 per cent after a revised increase of 2.9 percent in October, data from the Economy Ministry in Berlin showed on Thursday. Economists predicted a decline of 0.8 percent, according to the median of 24 estimates in a Bloomberg News survey. Orders fell 0.4 per cent from a year earlier.