Daily Update — January 06, 2026
Biodiesel Market Stability; Anticipated Semiconductor Shortage; and Investment Regulation Changes
Today is Tuesday, January 6, 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
Biodiesel, feedstocks to seek stability amid blend uncertainty, tariff risks
After facing mandatory blending changes, price volatility, and disruptions in tariff policies and trade flows in 2025, Brazil's biodiesel and feedstock markets are expected to stabilize in 2026, market participants told Platts, a part of S&P Global Energy.
Beef tallow, an increasingly important feedstock for the biofuel industry, is expected to strengthen its position in the domestic market after expanding its share in 2025 following US tariffs on Brazilian exports that curtailed foreign trade. For the biodiesel industry, less volatility is expected, supported by forecasts of a robust soybean harvest and the continuation of the 15% blend into diesel at least through the first half of 2026, according to market sources.
Artificial Intelligence
DRAM makers prioritize AI data center demand, sparking automotive semiconductor shortage
The automotive industry is bracing for yet another potential crisis: a shortage of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips. This anticipated shortage will not be quite as dramatic as the 2021 crisis — which prevented more than 10 million cars from being built that year — but could potentially be more disruptive and long-lasting than the Dutch government’s seizure of Nexperia in 2025.
DRAM is found in the compute-heavy systems in cars, namely in cockpit, advanced driver assistance and autonomy systems. However, major DRAM manufacturers are increasingly reallocating their wafer capacity toward high-bandwidth memory for AI data centers. The profitability and demand for high-bandwidth memory far exceed those of traditional automotive applications, leaving automakers increasingly vulnerable to an automotive supply chain crunch that could rival the previous shortages.
Private Markets
Listen: Regulatory Changes Influencing Investment Strategies | Private Markets 360°
In this episode of “Private Markets 360°,” Adam Kanter, partner in the investment management practice group at Mayer Brown, joined hosts Christina McNamara and Jocelyn Lewis to discuss the fundamentals of regulatory compliance and how new developments are shaping the investment management industry. Kanter specializes in regulatory compliance, advising US and non-US investment advisers and firms on issues including recent SEC marketing rule changes.
In case you missed it
- Prolonged cold temperatures across the US Northeast drove regional power and gas prices higher, with markets surging before New Year's Day.
- Hydrotreated vegetable oil prices are expected to remain firm in 2026 as tightening mandates in Europe and the US underpin demand, while competition for feedstocks intensifies as new biorefineries start operating.
- Global dry bulk shipping rates experienced a strong run in the final quarter of 2025, defying the historical trend of seasonally lower freight levels in the fourth quarter, when market participants wind down business activities and trades ahead of the year-end holidays.
Upcoming events
- Blueprints Made Simple: Macro Insights Dashboard: Unlock Macro Trends with the Macro Insights Dashboard | January 14 (Webinar)
- S&P Global Energy Horizons Top Trends 2026: AI Growth and Geopolitical Shifts Reshape Global Energy Markets | January 14 (Webinar)
- APAC Dividend Outlook 2026: Decoding Dividend Dynamics for Investors | January 20 (Webinar)
