The consumer price index for the month showed an increase in the core inflation rate of 3.6% from the same month last year, which was in line with economists' expectations. The inflation rate fell from 3.8% in March.
Food categories that are attracting attention increased 2.2% from the same month last year, food on the go increased 4.1%, and food at home increased by only 1.1%. Since the number of products per package tends to decrease in the food industry, these prices are adjusted according to the size of the package or container. The pace of household food inflation has been below 2%, which is the target value of the US Federal Reserve (Fed) for 7 consecutive months, but the overall level of food prices is still quite high compared to 2 and 3 years ago.
Categories where the year-on-year inflation rate moderated or declined markedly include bread (up 0.4% from the previous year), breakfast cereals (up 0.6%), rice (down 1.0%), eggs (down 9.0%), ham (down 3.4%), milk (down 1.2%), apples (down 12.7%), coffee (down 2.0%), etc. The decline in transportation and delivery costs within the US is a factor that mitigates inflation in certain food groups. Consumer opposition to pricing and packaging sizes...

· Higher copper prices will increase construction costs, which may lead to budget overruns and project delays.
· The construction sector faces uncertainty due to fluctuations in copper prices, making it difficult to forecast costs and plan projects accurately.
· Construction companies must adopt advanced risk management strategies to mitigate the impact of copper price fluctuations, such as hedging price fluctuations and searching for alternative materials.
The construction MMI (monthly metal index) maintained a steady flat trend, rising only 1.28%. The rise in the price of China's iron ore PB fines had the biggest impact on the index and pushed it up rather than down. The next largest was the 1050 aluminum plate sold in Europe. Meanwhile, all other components of the index's metal prices remained flat or trending downward. Nevertheless, Russia's recent ban on aluminum and copper has an impact on aluminum and copper prices, which could snowball to the US construction industry.
The impact of rising copper prices on the US construction industry
The recent rise in copper prices could present significant challenges to the US construction industry and copper market. The main reason for rising prices...

While traders analyzed key economic data to determine the outlook for economic and monetary policies, DAX expanded its gains and rose 0.5% on Wednesday to break through the record high of 18800, tracking the overall positive mood.
Eurozone's new GDP estimates confirm that the economy has emerged from the recession in the first quarter, and the European Commission's new forecast continues to indicate a soft landing scenario.
Meanwhile, attention will be drawn to the US inflation report to be announced later that day.
In other regions, corporate news continued to have an impact, and Commerzbank (+3.5%) reported a 29% increase in net profit for the first quarter, which was higher than expected.
Meanwhile, Allianz's stock price fell by about 1.7% because financial results did not impress investors, and thyssenkrupp fell 7% or more as sales and profit forecasts were revised downward again.

Major European stock exchanges rose on Wednesday as traders waited for important economic indicators to determine the outlook for economic and monetary policies, and STOXX 50 and STOXX 600 both rose about 0.3%.
Today's new Eurozone GDP and inflation estimates, as well as the US inflation report, will attract attention.
Investors seem unfazed by the fact that the US PPI exceeded expectations and the comments of Federal Reserve Chairman Powell suggesting a prolonged rise in interest rates.
Corporate news remains influential, and Commerzbank reported a 29% increase in first-quarter net profit above expectations.
Also, Allianz confirmed the forecast for 2024, and while net profit of the Dutch bank ABN AMRO also increased by 29%, ThyssenKrupp revised sales and profit forecasts downward again.