Berlin - German key machinery and industrial plants orders slumped by an annual 12 per cent in May, the industry association said Wednesday.

Both domestic and foreign orders dropped by 12 per cent, the VDMA association said.

However, orders in the three months from March to May rose 4 per cent year-on-year, with domestic orders falling by 1 per cent and foreign orders jumping 7 per cent. Three month comparisons tend to smooth out monthly fluctuations.

The fall in May followed a sharp rise in April when machinery orders raced ahead by 35 per cent year-on-year. (dpa)