Germany leads European shares lower after industrial orders

European shares fell on Tuesday, led lower by German stocks after industrial orders unexpectedly dropped in Europe’s biggest economy, suggesting a slowdown in the global economy was leaving its mark.

German industrial orders fell in February in a surprise for economists, due to weaker foreign demand, particularly from euro zone countries.

Germany’s DAX fell 1.7 percent, underperforming a 1.1 percent drop for the FTSEurofirst 300 to 1,297.65.

Exporters and other globally-exposed stocks were hit across the region, with autos down 2.7 percent and mining stocks down 3.1 percent.

The top faller on the FTSEurofirst 300 was Peugeot , down 6 percent after the carmaker outlined plans on Tuesday to return to consistent sales growth.

Source: Reuters