Factory orders in Europe down in July

BRUSSELS, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- New factory orders fell 2.1 percent in the eurozone and 0.8 percent in the European Union in July compared with June, Eurostat said Thursday.

New orders for the 17 eurozone member states were down 8.4 percent from a year ago. In the 27-member European Union, new orders fell 6.8 percent from July 2010.

In the eurozone and the European Union, new orders for capital goods fell by 2.5 percent and 5.8 percent, receptively, month-to-month.

Orders for non-durable consumer goods fell 0.1 percent in the eurozone and rose 1.3 percent in the European Union. For durable goods, new orders rose 5.1 percent and 1.3 percent in the eurozone and the European Union, respectively.