LONDON (Reuters) - European shares fell on Tuesday, led lower by German stocks after industrial orders unexpectedly dropped in Europe's biggest economy, suggesting a slowdown in the global economy was leaving its mark.
German industrial orders fell in February in a surprise for economists, due to weaker foreign demand, particularly from euro zone countries.
Germany's DAX (GDAXI) fell 1.7 percent, underperforming a 1.1 percent drop for the FTSEurofirst 300 to 1,297.65.
Exporters and other globally-exposed stocks were hit across the region, with autos (SXAP) down 2.7 percent and mining stocks (SXPP) down 3.1 percent.
The top faller on the FTSEurofirst 300 was Peugeot (PA:PEUP), down 6 percent after the carmaker outlined plans on Tuesday to return to consistent sales growth.
