Daily Update — August 20, 2026
Shifting US Tariffs Test EU Resilience; Private Credit’s Pressure Points; and What’s Next for AI
Today is Thursday, August 20, 2026, 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.
Global Trade
Credit Conditions: The Shifting US Tariff Landscape Tests EU Resilience
Trade friction between the US and EU is being cautiously managed rather than de-escalated as the US seeks to establish a more permanent tariff structure. Following the US Supreme Court’s ruling on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act in February and the expiry of Section 122 import surcharges in July, the Trump administration quickly filled the resulting policy gap through more traditional tariff mechanisms.
The credit impact on European companies has been relatively contained, with EU exports to the US remaining resilient and companies increasingly treating tariffs as part of the operating environment. However, it is still too early to assess the full impact of the higher tariffs, as some effects may emerge with a lag.
Private Markets
Listen: Pressure Points: Liquidity, Complexity, and the Rise of Private Credit
Private credit, which has grown from a stopgap since the end of the 2008 financial crisis into a roughly $2 trillion market, is facing fresh scrutiny as investor redemptions and AI disruption fears make headlines. In this episode of the “Look Forward” podcast, S&P Global Ratings' Matthew Mitchell, managing director for structured finance, and Evan Gunter, managing director and head of private markets research, joined host Molly Mintz to unpack where the real pressure points lie.
The “Look Forward” podcast is powered by the S&P Global Institute, the center for enterprise-wide thought leadership. The institute brings together expertise from across S&P Global to provide insights on the trends reshaping markets, industries and the global economy.
Artificial Intelligence
The Visible Alpha AI Monitor H1 2026 update: What’s next for AI?
Generative AI gained further momentum in the first half as cloud service providers continued investing to scale data center computing power, according to the Visible Alpha AI Monitor. Companies have also made greater efforts to integrate AI into their organizations, while AI usage has improved due to hyperscalers enhancing compute and reducing user costs. Still, the cost of power and compute remains a bottleneck for further adoption.
As hyperscalers expand their infrastructure, the verdict is out on the impact to enterprises. When will this potential productivity help deliver stronger fundamentals and earnings growth?
The Visible Alpha AI Monitor aggregates data from publicly traded US technology companies to provide a comprehensive view of the current state and projected growth of the core AI industry. This encompasses AI-exposed revenue for companies building AI infrastructure, as well as capabilities for enterprises and consumers. Visible Alpha is a part of S&P Global Market Intelligence.
In case you missed it
- Many top publicly traded US managed care insurers raised their full-year earnings estimates despite increasing medical costs and membership attrition.
- Vietnam approved an implementation agreement with Singapore under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, marking a step toward operationalizing bilateral carbon credit trading between the countries.
- US equities produced sound results in the first seven months of 2026, but strong headline index performance masked underlying macroeconomic uncertainty and broadening market leadership.
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