S&P Global Stock Price, News & Analysis

Global supply chain capacity tightened in November as the GEP Global Supply Chain Volatility Index rose to -0.20 from -0.39. Asian manufacturers, particularly in China, reported increased procurement activity at the fastest rate in three-and-a-half years, driven by domestic stimulus and export growth. North American manufacturers increased safety stockpiling in anticipation of potential tariffs under the incoming US administration.

While Asia and North America showed increased activity, Europe's industrial sector continued to decline, especially in Germany. The data revealed robust global supply levels, normal labor capacity, and stable transportation costs. Regional indices showed varying trends: North America rose to -0.36, Europe fell to -0.72, UK improved to -0.12, and Asia reached a four-month high of 0.15.

TPM25, S&P Global's premier container shipping and supply chain conference, will celebrate its 25th anniversary from March 2-5, 2025, in Long Beach, California. Under the theme 'Finding Reliability in an Unreliable World', the event will address challenges in container shipping and supply chains amid potential US trade policy changes.

The conference will feature over 65 sessions, including a keynote address by John Bolton, covering topics such as container shipping outlook, port labor issues, decarbonization, and Asia-Europe shipping. The event will maintain its specialized tracks: TPM Academy for educational workshops, TPM Cold Chain for temperature-controlled logistics, and TPM Tech focusing on AI in containerized supply chains.

S&P Dow Jones Indices has announced the 2024 review results for the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI). The DJSI, launched in 1999, are float-adjusted market capitalization weighted indices measuring company performance based on ESG criteria.

Key changes effective December 23, 2024, include the addition of Airbus SE, Schlumberger , and BAE Systems Plc to the DJSI World, while Alphabet Inc, UnitedHealth Group Inc, and ASML Holding NV will be removed.

Additionally, the DJSI family will be renamed to Dow Jones Best-in-Class Indices effective February 10, 2025. The S&P Global CSA Scores will continue to be important in selecting constituents under the new name.

S&P 500 stock buybacks in Q3 2024 decreased 4.0% to $226.6 billion from Q2 2024's $235.9 billion, but increased 22.1% from Q3 2023. The 12-month buyback expenditure through September 2024 rose 16.7% to $918.4 billion.

Information Technology maintained its lead in buybacks despite a 6.4% decrease, while Consumer Discretionary increased spending by 13.5%. The 1% buyback tax reduced Q3 2024 operating earnings by 0.42%.

Apple dominated with $25.4 billion in Q3 buybacks, followed by Alphabet ($15.3B), NVIDIA ($12.7B), Meta Platforms ($12.4B), and JP Morgan ($6.4B). Total shareholder returns (buybacks + dividends) decreased 1.5% to $383.6 billion in Q3 2024.

S&P Global Commodity Insights hosted its 26th annual Platts Global Energy Awards in New York City, recognizing excellence across 19 categories with winners from nearly a dozen countries. Repsol emerged as the evening's triple winner, securing Energy Company of the Year, Energy Transition – Downstream Award, and Strategic Deal of the Year for its $768 million ConnectGen acquisition.

Notable individual achievements included Lorenzo Simonelli of Baker Hughes winning Chief Executive of the Year, Greg Jackson of Octopus Energy Group named Chief Trailblazer of the Year, and Jeffrey W. Martin of Sempra receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award. The awards recognized companies and leaders demonstrating excellence in traditional and renewable energy sectors, with winners from Australia, Canada, France, India, Spain, Turkey, UAE, UK, and the US.

S&P Global Commodity Insights has released its 2025 energy outlook, highlighting significant market uncertainties driven by ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, China-West geopolitical tensions, and Trump's election impact on energy policies. The outlook identifies key trends including AI-driven power demand growth from data centers, expected to represent 5% of global power demand by 2030, and fossil fuel market adjustments with OPEC+ facing challenges in balancing supply and prices.

The report forecasts global primary energy demand to grow by over 8 million boe/d in 2025, with fossil fuel demand increasing by 3 million boe/d. Notable developments include potential nuclear energy revival, China's dominance in clean technology, and peak gasoline demand coinciding with new refining capacity. The outlook also addresses the upcoming wave of LNG exports and coal consumption trends.

CARFAX reports a significant increase in odometer fraud nationwide, with over 2.14 million vehicles potentially affected in 2024, marking an 18% rise since 2021 and adding 82,000 more cases from the previous year. The fraudulent practice, which can be executed quickly using modern technology, costs unsuspecting buyers an average of $4,000 in lost value, plus additional repair costs.

Nine out of the top 10 states reported increases, with Virginia showing the highest spike at 11.7%, followed by Arizona at 8.0% and Florida at 6.4%. The fraud typically occurs when sellers alter vehicle mileage displays to avoid lease charges or increase vehicle value.

S&P Dow Jones Indices has clarified the float-adjusted liquidity ratio (FALR) eligibility criteria for U.S. Indices. The clarification specifies that FALR is calculated using the annual dollar value traded divided by float-adjusted market capitalization, utilizing composite pricing and all publicly reported U.S. consolidated volume (excluding dark pools). For the S&P Total Market Index, FALR must be greater than or equal to 0.1, with current constituents having no minimum requirement. The clarification affects major indices including the S&P Composite 1500, S&P 500, S&P 400, S&P 600, and Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Index. The update is effective December 9, 2024, with no constituent changes occurring.

S&P Global Market Intelligence has released a new report, 'Power Plays in 2025', outlining four key themes that will shape global political and economic relationships in 2025. The report identifies economic angst, domestic discontent, elusive alliances, and trade troubles as major factors affecting markets.

The analysis suggests that while global economic expansion is expected to continue, led by emerging markets, multiple risks including structural challenges and geopolitical issues could impede growth. The report highlights concerns about domestic instability, protectionist measures, and fragmented trade environments that may lead to higher consumer prices and increased inflationary pressures.