BERLIN, Oct 31 Reuters German plant and equipment makers39; orders fell in September, after a oneoff rise in August, the VDMA association said on Thursday, as a doubledigit fall in domestic contracts were cushioned by those from abroad remaining stable.

Overall, orders were down 4 in real terms on the year in September, following a 7 rise in August.

Domestic orders last month tumbled 16 while foreign contracts remained stable thanks to the help of largescale plant business.

The industry39;s economic weakness was more pronounced in the ninemonth figures, which showed orders from January to September down 8 compared with the same period last year.

In the lessvolatile threemonth period from July to September, orders were 1 lower overall, with a 9 fall in domestic contracts and 2 increase in those from abroad.

The weak domestic demand is not surprising, companies are very unsettled. There is a lack of impetus from many sales markets, said VDMA economic expert Olaf Wortmann.

But there is also a lack of a clear, businessfriendly course from the German government with measures that would stimulate new investments, he added.

The coalition partners have turned their attention towards reviving the economy, meeting with industry associations and business representatives to address the issue as Europe39;s largest economy is set to contract a second consecutive year.

SEPTEMBER

CHANGE

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