The number of new orders in the German industrial sector dropped unexpectedly in November. This is another sign that Europe’s largest economy is still struggling to overcome its worst industrial downturn in a decade.

The level of orders decreased by 1.3% in November 2019, reflecting its largest decline since July. The indicator failed to meet analysts’ expectations of 0.2% growth. The reported decline was mainly due to the reduced demand for investment goods abroad. Demand for consumer products has stalled. On an annual basis, the number of orders decreased by 6.5%.

The weakness of recent data increases the risk, as predicted by the Bundesbank, of a negative tendency to move to other sectors of the German economy in 2020.

A separate report on Monday showed that the car industry, which is core for the economy, has been hit particularly hard by declining exports last year. Automobile production has dropped to its lowest level in nearly a quarter of a century, according to the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA).

Bundesbank said Germany’s economy may have stagnated in the fourth quarter. According to the institution, there are few signs of a recent recovery and economic growth is likely to remain below 1% this year. Economic studies in December showed that the state of the industry in the country continued to deteriorate. The private sector as a whole has seen slight signs of expansion while job losses have increased.