Industrial new orders in the eurozone dropped 3.8 percent in September from the previous month, European Union (EU) statistics bureau Eurostat said Wednesday.
The index dropped after a significant monthly increase of 5.1 percent in August, according to revised figures.
In the 27-member EU, new orders declined by 2.5 percent month on month in September after a gain of 3.5 percent in August, Eurostat said.
Among the various industries, new orders for durable consumer goods registered the sharpest decrease of 6.3 percent in the eurozone and 3 percent in the EU.
Capital goods dropped 2.5 percent in the eurozone and 2.7 percent in the EU. Non-durable goods fell 1.8 percent in both blocs. Intermediate goods declined by 2.2 percent and 1.9 percent, respectively.
Among the member states for which data were available, total manufacturing orders rose in 11 and fell in 11. The highest increase was in Estonia, up 8.5 percent, and the largest decrease was registered in Denmark, down by 27.3.
Compared with September 2009, industrial new orders increased by 13.5 percent in the eurozone and by 13.4 percent in the EU.
EU officials have said the pace of Europe's economic growth is set to moderate until mid-2011, as the global economy goes through a temporary soft patch, damping EU export growth.
