Skip to Content Skip to Menu Skip to Footer

Daily Update — Decemeber 11, 2025

Sustainability During the Holidays; Data Center Uncertainty; and 2026 Economic Insights

Today is Thursday, December 11, 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.

Subscribe

Energy Transition & Sustainability

Listen: How companies are making products, packaging and shipping sustainable this holiday season

 

As many parts of the world gear up for the holiday season, companies are innovating to make their products, packaging and shipping more sustainable. In this episode of the “All Things Sustainable” podcast, hosts Lindsey Hall and Esther Whieldon sat down with a consumer goods company, a shipping and logistics company, and a paper and cardboard packaging company to discuss this trend.

 

Kristina Friedman, head of sustainability for North America at consumer goods giant Unilever, explained how the company is embedding sustainability into its business strategy, engaging with consumers and leveraging collaboration within its industry to tackle plastic waste. 

Artificial Intelligence

Data Centers: Are The Winning Odds Less Certain In 2026?

 

Hyperscalers are placing massive bets on AI ambitions as data center demand surges against a backdrop of rising but constrained supply, keeping sector fundamentals healthy. Still, risks for owners, operators and investors vary across facilities and financing sources. Data center operators will continue benefiting from favorable industry conditions. S&P Global Ratings expects demand to support AI and non-AI workloads to remain robust, with supply more constrained by power availability in primary markets. As a result, vacancies are forecast to remain low, with upward pressure on pricing and re-leasing costs.

 

In this series, part of our Global Credit Outlook 2026, we address the uncertainties that will shape 2026 — collected through our interactions with investors and other market participants.

Economy

Top 10 Economic Insights for 2026

 

The US economy is not approaching a recession, with a few tailwinds forecast to support growth. S&P Global Market Intelligence’s base case is for another year of close-to-potential real GDP growth in 2026. Fiscal tailwinds include personal tax cuts, elevated refunds, and rising federal spending on defense and border security. Obstacles include continued elevated uncertainty, declining spending on structures in the manufacturing sector, and financial headwinds such as rising corporate credit spreads and an expected decline in equity values.

 

Domestic demand prospects in Western Europe are improving, although overall growth rates should remain subdued. Germany's more expansive fiscal stance is expected to have a gradually more positive effect on its growth rate, along with spillovers to the rest of the region. Domestic demand in Western Europe will also be supported by resilient labor market conditions in most countries, moderating consumer price inflation rates and the lagged effects of more accommodative monetary policies. Conversely, negative annual growth contributions from net trade are generally forecast across the region due to a combination of factors including stronger currencies and higher tariffs on exports to the US.

In case you missed it

Upcoming events

Content Type

Newsletter