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Cyprus Construction Material Prices Rise 0.6% In February 2026

Overview Of The Latest Price Trends

Cyprus Statistical Service reported that the construction materials price index reached 119.28 units in February 2026 (base year 2021=100), indicating a continued increase in input costs across the sector.

Month-On-Month And Yearly Trends

Compared with January 2026, the index rose by 0.33%. On an annual basis, prices increased by 0.60% compared with February 2025, pointing to a gradual upward trend in construction costs.

Segment-Specific Developments

Price changes varied across categories. Electromechanical products recorded the largest increase, rising by 2.27%. Wood, insulation materials, chemicals and plastics increased by 1.64%, while minerals rose by 0.94%. In contrast, metallic products declined by 0.45%, and mineral products edged down by 0.08%.

Methodology And Data Collection

Cystat’s data collection process is rigorous, relying on a monthly sample acquired via telephone and email from a range of suppliers. The reference date for price collection is the 15th of each month, and the figures are recorded exclusive of VAT to ensure clarity in assessing underlying cost movements. The index is anchored to a base year (2021), with an average index value of 100 units over the twelve months, thus serving as a benchmark to gauge price evolutions. An index of 101.56, for example, represents a 1.56% increase over the 2021 average.

Implications For The Construction Sector

The latest figures indicate that cost pressures in the construction sector remain present, although increases are moderate. Ongoing monitoring of price trends remains relevant for contractors and developers planning future projects and budgets.

Meta’s Muse Is Outpacing ChatGPT In Early Mobile Adoption, New Data Suggests

Meta’s new AI app, Muse, may be emerging as one of the company’s strongest consumer launches to date. Fresh estimates from market intelligence firm Apptopia suggest the app has outperformed ChatGPT in early mobile traction, at least in the U.S. and Canada.

According to Apptopia, Muse recorded more downloads in its first 12 days on the market than ChatGPT did during the comparable period after its mobile debut. The comparison, limited to the U.S. and Canada, puts Muse’s iOS downloads at 1.8 million versus 1.3 million for ChatGPT over the same initial window.

A Strong Early Start Across Platforms

In total, Muse has reached 2.8 million global installs in its first 12 days, according to the firm. The app’s momentum also appears to be holding. After debuting at No. 2 on the U.S. App Store, Muse has since climbed to No. 1, surpassing ChatGPT, according to reporting from Business Insider. Appfigures had previously estimated that Muse crossed 1 million downloads shortly after launch.

That early rise matters because app-store performance in the first days after launch often signals whether a product can sustain consumer attention beyond initial curiosity. In Meta’s case, the data suggests Muse is not simply benefiting from novelty; it is gaining ground quickly enough to challenge the category leader.

Daily Users Show Similar Momentum

Apptopia’s estimates point to another favorable comparison for Meta: daily usage. In the U.S. alone, Muse is said to have 642,000 daily active users, well above the 231,000 ChatGPT had at the same stage of its mobile rollout.

To make the comparison fairer, Apptopia also narrowed the analysis to iOS only, since ChatGPT launched on iPhone before expanding more broadly. Even under that tighter lens, Muse still comes out ahead, with 359,000 daily active users on iOS compared with ChatGPT’s earlier figure.

Why Meta Has An Advantage

Third-party estimates are not the same as internal company data, and Apptopia cannot see Meta’s proprietary numbers. Still, even directional data suggests Muse may be on track to become a meaningful consumer product for Meta.

That possibility is strengthened by Meta’s distribution advantage. The company has already demonstrated how powerful its ecosystem can be with Threads, which surpassed 500 million users after heavy promotion across Instagram and Facebook. Muse is likely to receive a similar boost, especially because it can connect across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

Apptopia does not track Meta’s internal promotion strategy, but its data indicates that more than 95% of Muse users are also Facebook users, while 63% are Instagram users. That overlap underscores how effectively Meta can move users across its products when it chooses to prioritize a launch.

The Strategic Test For Meta

For Meta, the early signal from Muse is less about one app’s download count than about whether the company can turn its scale into durable AI adoption. The first test is attention. The harder one is retention.

If Muse can convert early downloads into habitual use, Meta may have found a new front door into its AI ambitions. If not, the app risks becoming another example of how easily mobile hype can spike before settling back down.

Meta, which was asked for comment, has not yet released public figures on Muse’s early adoption.

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