EU HCOB Construction PMI (Apr) 41.7 (Prev. 44.6); the start of Q2 "brought a sharp intensification of price pressures..."

The EU HCOB Construction PMI for April dipped significantly to 41.7 from 44.6, indicating a sharp decline in construction activity and intensified price pressures driven by rising raw material costs.

Newsquawk StaffPublished 7 May 2026, 07:50 UTCOn the live feed at 07:30 UTC — 4 more headlines followed before this page went public

Newsquawk headlinesUTC

07:40

[PREVIEW] Norges Bank Policy Decision on Thursday, 7th May.

07:36

"Pakistani source to Al Arabiya says Iran may hand over its response to the US proposal to the Pakistani mediator today", Al Arabiya

07:30

EU HCOB Construction PMI (Apr) 41.7 (Prev. 44.6); the start of Q2 "brought a sharp intensification of price pressures..."

07:19

Pakistani Foreign Ministry says "We expect an urgent agreement between Iran and the United States", Al Araby reports

07:15

[MARKET UPDATE] Crude continues falling alongside the DXY, whilst equity and fixed income futures rise further following reports that US and Iran are said to be closer to reaching an understanding on the Strait of Hormuz

Open the platform and use it. The whole workspace is free to try, with no signup and no card. When you want the headlines arriving live instead of on a delay, Newsquawk Pro is £24.99 for 7 days.

Try the platform free

Free. No signup, no card.

"The start of the second quarter brought a sharp intensification of price pressures, largely in response to rising raw material costs in relation to the war in the Middle East"
"Higher expenses weighed heavily on the sector and contributed to the sharpest fall in activity levels since August 2024."
"Falling demand was often related to rising price pressures, uncertainty and hesitancy among clients to commit to projects."
"The weakness across the sector weighed on the outlook for activity, with firms signalling the greatest degree of pessimism for 16 months."

Context

This data suggests a deteriorating outlook for the construction sector, with firms expressing the highest level of pessimism in over 16 months, likely influencing market sentiment around equities and bonds in the region.

Macro · last 90 days

Recent headlines that moved markets

MACRO/20 Aug · 01:30 UTC

Australian Employment Change (Jul) -15.8K vs. Exp. 15K (Prev. 76.3K)

Market, after we published−0.3%

AUD/USD immediately moved lower by 22 pips to 0.7103 from 0.7125.

EQUITIES/8 Sept · 05:24 UTC

Saudi Energy Minister says a number of energy facilities and utilities were hit; are temporarily halting some operations.

Equity indices, after we published−0.3%

ENERGY/8 Sept · 05:23 UTC

Saudi Energy Minister says a number of energy facilities and utilities were hit; are temporarily halting some operations.

Brent Nov'26, after we published+1.0%

ENERGY/3 Sept · 08:03 UTC

Russian President Putin says that Russia and Ukraine should agree first; he notes that there is an opportunity to reach a peace agreement.

with Brent Nov, after we published−1.3%

EQUITIES/3 Sept · 04:54 UTC

North Korea stripped references to "peaceful unification" with South Korea from the charter of its ruling Workers' Party of Korea, according to Yonhap.

Equity indices, after we published−3.3%

EQUITIES/1 Sept · 16:17 UTC

Initial reports of an American attack on Iran, reports i24's Stein.

ES, after we published−0.2%

Newsquawk Daily

Get both market opens in your inbox.

This note and the other one — the EU open and the US open, every business day, written by the desk. No account needed.

Related headlines

The whole workspace, free to try.

© 2026 Newsquawk. All rights reserved.