ROUNDUP: US inflation rises above four percent for the first time in three years
WASHINGTON – The consequences of the Iran war have further fueled inflation in the USA, pushing inflation above four percent for the first time in three years. In May, consumer prices rose 4.2 percent year-on-year, the Labor Department announced on Wednesday in Washington. Analysts on average had expected this. Inflation rose significantly for the second month in a row and rose further above the US Federal Reserve’s target of two percent. Economists assume that US inflation has reached its peak with the price jump.
ROUNDUP/After mutual attacks: Trump threatens Iran again
WASHINGTON – After mutual attacks, US President Donald Trump has threatened Iran again. “It took them too long to negotiate a deal that was great for them, now they have to face the consequences!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform in the afternoon, referring to the negotiations on a framework agreement between the two countries that have been dragging on for weeks. Exactly what consequences Trump meant remained unclear.
ROUNDUP: Crucial weeks begin for the coalition
BERLIN – It is the most difficult and most important test to date for the black-red coalition: With the top meeting between the CDU/CSU and the SPD with employers and unions in the Chancellery, the decisive phase on the way to a comprehensive reform package begins in the evening. The coalition committee will meet on July 1st to decide on the key points.
1.15 million job vacancies in Germany in the first quarter
NUREMBERG – Although unemployment in Germany has been increasing for years, more than a million jobs nationwide were unfilled in the first quarter. This emerges from the latest job survey by the Institute for Labor Market and Occupational Research (IAB) in Nuremberg.
Iran: 20,000 residents without water supply after US attack
TEHRAN – Thousands of residents on the southern coast are without water after nightly US attacks and destruction of civilian infrastructure, according to Iranian sources. The drinking water supply to the town of Kuhestak in Hormuzgan province and ten other villages was completely interrupted, the Mehr news agency reported, citing an official.
China: Inflation remains stable – producer prices are rising significantly
BEIJING – In China, inflation surprisingly did not rise any further in May. As in the previous month, consumer prices rose by 1.2 percent year-on-year, as the statistics office announced in Beijing on Wednesday. Analysts on average had expected the annual rate to rise to 1.3. At the beginning of the year, inflation was only 0.2 percent before rising fuel prices as a result of the Iran war, among other things, caused higher inflation.
Germany: The proportion of heat pumps in new buildings doubles
WIESBADEN – An ever-increasing proportion of new residential buildings in Germany are being heated with heat pumps. Almost three quarters (73.6 percent) of the approximately 58,900 residential buildings that were completed in 2025 primarily use heat pumps for heating energy, the Federal Statistical Office said.
AOK warns against cutting back on the austerity package
BERLIN/HANOVER – The Allgemeine Ortskrankenkassen (AOK) are warning that the austerity package for health spending will be weakened under pressure from industry protests. “Everyone has been railing against the law for weeks,” said the head of the AOK federal association, Carola Reimann. “With horror scenarios of hospital insolvencies, shortage of appointments, deterioration in care and investment cuts, there are a lot of calls for special rights and exceptions to the austerity measures.” However, alternative suggestions for reducing costs were not heard.
EU Commission: Budget for 2027 focused on defense
BRUSSELS – The EU Commission wants to invest more money from the EU budget in armaments next year. The Brussels authority wants to make more than three billion euros available for the security and defense sector next year, according to its budget proposal. The focus should also be on the competitiveness of the international community: almost 22 billion euros should flow into the areas of the internal market, innovation and digital. Ukraine should also receive extensive support.
Customer note:
ROUNDUP: You read a summary in the economic overview. There are several reports on this topic on the dpa-AFX news service.
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