FRANKFURT: German factory orders fell for the first time in four months in the run-up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, underscoring concerns over slower growth in Europe’s largest economy.

       Demand declined 2.2% in February from the previous month, driven by a slump in foreign orders. That’s worse than all but one prediction in a Bloomberg survey of economist, which saw a median estimate of a 0.3% drop.

       Expectations for Germany’s economic recovery have been slashed after the war in Ukraine sent energy prices higher while disrupting supply chains that had already been suffering from pandemic-related snarls.

       A panel of advisers to chancellor Olaf Scholz last week lowered its growth projection to 1.8% from 4.6% for this year, while warning that a recession was possible because of the country’s high dependence on Russian energy.

       Inflation reached 7.6% in March – the highest level since records began after reunification in the early 1990s. — Bloomberg