Daily Update — August 14, 2025
Sustainability Professionals’ Uncertainties; Exploring Tokenization; and Air Cargo Capacity Concerns
Today is Thursday, August 14, 2025, and here’s your curated selection of Essential Intelligence on global markets from S&P Global. Subscribe to be notified of each new Daily Update.
Energy Transition & Sustainability
Listen: How sustainability professionals are weathering challenging times
On the “All Things Sustainable” podcast, many professionals this year have expressed uncertainty about the future of climate action, sustainability and their careers.
While numerous companies have continued pursuing their sustainability strategies and climate targets, there has been a decrease in public discourse and a change in the language used to describe these efforts. In this episode, we ask: How are sustainability professionals weathering the storm?
Digital Assets
Exploring Tokenization: A New Era for Traditional Assets
In July, S&P Dow Jones Indices announced its entry into the tokenization sector via a strategic collaboration with Centrifuge, a decentralized infrastructure provider. The collaboration marks the first time that S&P Dow Jones Indices has licensed index data for the creation of a digital token, bringing the S&P 500® on a blockchain.
This technology has the potential to create opportunities for investors and institutions, with benefits including operational efficiency, increased access to deeper liquidity and innovation. The tokenized asset market excluding stablecoins is estimated to be worth $25 billion as of July 30, 2025, and is expected to grow to between $1 trillion and $4 trillion by 2030, highlighting the increasing relevance of tokenization in finance.
Global Trade
Air cargo carriers face capacity challenge as tariff frontloading ends
The transpacific trading environment is testing the ability of cargo airlines to quickly shift capacity between trade corridors in support of rapid changes in Asian export volumes.
Freighter airlines are facing the challenge of rightsizing capacity to match new demand levels after volumes
In case you missed it
- New state-level wildfire-related statutes aimed at mitigating electric utility wildfire risk and liability are in effect across the Western US, following the conclusion of several state legislative sessions.
- China's lithium futures and spot prices reached an eight-month high on Aug. 11, breaching the daily trading limit, following the suspension of a mine owned by Contemporary Amperex Technology.
- A 15% tariff on pharmaceutical imports from the EU is set to go into effect, pending the completion of a Section 232 investigation. The EU accounts for the bulk of US pharmaceutical imports.
Upcoming events
- After IEEPA-August: The road ahead for tariffs, the economy and corporate decision-making | August 19 (Webinar)
- Banking Infrastructure Modernization: Building for Instant Payments | August 20 (Webinar)
- Unlocking Trusted Data in Gen AI: Building Agentic Workflows with Kensho |August 27 (Webinar)