Also moving higher were construction materials supplier Vulcan Materials Co VMC.N, up 3.24% and steelmaker Nucor Corp NUE.N, up 3.91% building on gains in the prior session on expectations of benefiting from infrastructure projects. Investors have been closely attuned to inflation pressures in recent months, concerned that a continual rise in prices could push the Federal Reserve to begin to scale down its ultra-accommodative policy stance earlier than anticipated. In addition, Dallas Federal Reserve President Robert Kaplan said the central bank should announce its timeline to reduce its massive bondholding next month, with tapering to begin in October.