An unyielding building boom is providing a strong foundation for an otherwise shaky-looking U.S. economy. Construction spending and employment have risen to new records this year, boosted by government outlays for infrastructure, a domestic manufacturing renaissance and a wave of apartment building. Construction jobs from airport overhauls to bathroom renovations are helping boost employment, the WSJ’s Ryan Dezember and Will Parker report, and giving momentum to industrial supply chains in an economy coping with brittle consumer demand. Construction-equipment maker Caterpillar recently reported sharply stronger sales and operating margins, one sign of how the boom is reaching suppliers. Still, there are slowdown signals in logistics networks. Spot prices for flatbed truck transport have slipped from last year’s high levels, load board DAT Solutions reports. And rail transports of lumber and wood products fell 6.4% in the first quarter, according to the Association of American Railroads.

• A measure of business activity in the Chicago region improved in April. (MarketWatch)

More than a year after a cyberattack hobbled its network, one of the world’s largest freight forwarders is still dealing with the fallout. Expeditors International of Washington is battling with longtime customer iRobot over delays and lost business from the February 2022 incident that triggered the shutdown of most of its operating and accounting systems for three weeks. The WSJ’s Kim S. Nash reports the episode already has cost Expeditors $47 million in extra charges for prolonged use of shipping containers at terminals. More broadly, the attack highlights the tough questions that cyberattacks pose for big companies. Expeditors says it can’t estimate for other potential litigation or claims, adding that it isn’t fully insured for such incidents because of the high cost of cyber insurance. That cost is climbing. The Expeditors incident also suggests the potential risk cyberattacks pose to relationships with customers is also uncommonly high.

Price cuts this year sent conflicting signals about customer demand for the company’s cars, but Tesla’s strategy is starting to look clear. Elon Musk, the electric-vehicle pioneer’s CEO, recently said he would give priority to continued sales growth at the expense of near-term profitability, the WSJ’s Tim Higgins reports, a sign the company is betting on scale rather than simply counting on increasing deliveries while maintaining enviable profit margins. To some that sounds like a page out of the automotive sector’s dusty, problematic playbook for economies of scale: that manufacturing-cost savings would come through bigger buying power. But Mr. Musk maintains he is making a gamble that he can, over time, profit from future software subscription-style revenue from Tesla owners, including for autonomous-driving capabilities. It’s one sign that new technology may be upending one of the key tenets of manufacturing in the automotive sector.

• U.K. logistics provider Wincanton bought 30 electric delivery vehicles for IKEA operations. (Motor Transport)

A gauge of factory activity in China fell unexpectedly into contraction in April. (WSJ)

Combined economic output of the 20 eurozone countries rose at an annualized rate of 0.3% in the first quarter. (WSJ)

The U.S. dollar has fallen about 8.6% in international currency markets from a peak last September. (WSJ)

California regulators approved a plan to phase out the introduction of new diesel trucks in the state starting in 2024. (Dow Jones Newswires) 

Exxon Mobil and Chevron earned a combined $18 billion in first-quarter profits. (WSJ)

Makers of everyday household goods say consumers are sticking with them despite double-digit price increases. (WSJ)

Taiwanese contract electronics suppliers are pivoting sharply away from China for manufacturing. (Nikkei Asia)

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce warns that mounting Chinese scrutiny of American companies has “dramatically” raised the risks of doing business there. (Financial Times)

Orders for crude tankers surged to a two-year high in April. (Splash 247)

Container volumes at DP World’s terminals worldwide increased 1.4% in the first quarter. (Port Technology)

First-quarter operating profit at ArcBest’s ABF Freight trucking unit fell 40.6% to $47.5 million as declining pricing offset shipment growth. (Arkansas Business)

TForce Freight CEO Alain Bédard says Teamsters contract negotiations may delay any progress on a potential acquisition of rival trucker ArcBest. (Transport Dive)

Saia says price increases and heavier shipments kept the less-than-truckload carrier’s revenue almost flat despite a 7.1% decline in daily shipments. (Dow Jones Newswires)

Bulk trucker Trimac Transportation acquired Ohio-based bulk services provider American Industrial Partners. (Commercial Carrier Journal)

Truckload carrier Covenant Logistics acquired poultry and feed hauler Lew Thompson & Son. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)

Paul Page is editor of WSJ Logistics Report. Reach him at paul.page@wsj.com.

Follow the WSJ Logistics Report team: @PaulPage, @bylizyoung and @pdberger. Follow the WSJ Logistics Report on Twitter at @WSJLogistics.