Kremlin: (asked about Washington Post article about Wagner founder Prigozin preparing to give Ukraine data on Russian military) This looks like a hoax.

Eurogroup Chairman Donoghue: I believe we can make progress on the banking union.

Market news: The National Stock Exchange of India has launched WTI crude oil and natural gas futures contracts.

Eurogroup Chairman Donoghue: The core inflation rate is still too high.

Eurogroup Chairman Donoghue: We are confident that US President Biden will solve the US debt problem.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida: Dissolution of parliament is not currently considered.

[Industrial output in the euro area fell more than expected in March] Industrial output in the euro area was weaker than expected in March, reversing the growth achieved so far this year, indicating that rising interest rates and rising inflation pressure on investment are hitting manufacturing. Data released today showed that industrial output fell 4.1% month-on-month in March after rising 1.5% in February. The decline in industrial output was driven by capital goods (products used to develop other goods), which fell 15.4%. Other components also fell, with intermediate goods down 1.8 percent, energy down 0.9 percent and consumer nondurable goods down 0.8 percent. However, production of consumer durables rose 2.8%.

On the 15th local time, the European Council appointed former Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio as the first EU Special Representative for the Middle East.

The German Ministry of Economy reported that the economy will cool down significantly as it enters the late winter of 2022/23.

The report of the German Ministry of Economy shows that the underlying growth momentum of the economy has weakened significantly recently.

EU Economic Commissioner Gentiloni: Stricter financing conditions will put pressure on economic activity.

European Economic Commissioner Gentiloni: The performance of the service industry in the second quarter will be significantly better than that of the manufacturing industry.

The European Commission predicts that the unemployment rate in the euro area will remain stable at 6.8% in 2023 and will drop to 6.7% in 2024.

London Metal Exchange (LME): Aluminum inventories decreased by 2,100 tons, copper inventories increased by 250 tons, nickel inventories were flat, lead inventories were flat, tin inventories decreased by 30 tons, and zinc inventories were flat.

European Commission: The GDP growth forecast for the euro area in 2023 was raised to 1.1%, and the GDP growth rate in 2024 was expected to be 1.6%.

European Commission: Downside risks to the economic outlook have risen.