Germany's economic prospects darkened markedly yesterday after a collapse in industrial orders and the country's central bank predicted a downturn at least as bad as in the 1993 recession.

Manufacturing orders fell by 6.1 per cent in October, extending an 8.3 per cent fall in the previous month, according to official data that highlighted the slump in global demand for German products. October's orders were 17.3 per cent lower than a year before.