Daily Update — July 10, 2026
New Economics of Renewables; Flexing AI Workloads; and Private Equity Exit Headwinds
Today is Friday, July 10, 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.
Energy Expansion
Listen: The new economics of renewable energy: Why transmission trumps technology
The investment landscape for renewable energy has changed. Power market access, not generation technology alone, is now driving clean energy wins.
In this episode of the “Energy Evolution” podcast, host Eklavya Gupte spoke with Bluestar Energy Capital founder and CEO Declan Flanagan about his firm’s response to this paradigm shift. Flanagan discussed the growing influence of power-pricing dynamics on technology decisions and Germany's rise as a battery-storage leader. The episode also explored how capital expenditure inflation, interconnection bottlenecks and changing demand profiles are rewriting the renewables investment playbook.
Artificial Intelligence
Listen: Next in Tech | Ep. 275: AI CEO Series: Dr. Varun Sivaram
Greater flexibility in AI workloads could address the problem of energy availability. Data centers have traditionally been built to deliver peak capacity, even when it is not needed. AI can shift workloads dynamically and harness excess capacity when it is available, according to the latest episode of the “Next in Tech” podcast.
In this episode, host Eric Hanselman spoke with Emerald AI founder and CEO Varun Sivaram to discuss how flexible AI workloads can unlock unused power grid capacity. The episode acknowledged that flexing AI workloads to respond to power grid conditions is not simple, but it can resolve grid integration issues faster.
Private Markets
Pace of private equity exits slows in H1 2026
The pace of private equity exits slowed in the first half of 2026, reflecting a more cautious deal environment. The number of exit transactions declined 6% year over year to 1,504 from January to June, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence data.
While top-quality assets are attracting buyers, many other portfolio company investments remain in limbo. Ongoing geopolitical conflicts, trade tensions and the impact of AI have created a buyer-seller divide in M&A valuations and processes. Reduced distributions to limited partners from their fund investments contribute to a challenging fundraising market, causing a further slowdown in exits, industry observers told S&P Global Market Intelligence.
In case you missed it
- Global inflation rates fell for the second consecutive month in June, as easing tensions in the Middle East led to a drop in oil prices, according to the latest Purchasing Managers' Index data compiled by S&P Global.
- Gulf Cooperation Council vulnerabilities to economic shocks related to the war in the Middle East are not homogeneous, with differing impacts across sovereigns and sectors, according to a scenario and sensitivity analysis by S&P Global Ratings.
- US soybeans are seeing renewed demand from China, with at least six to seven cargo purchases made July 6, totaling about 330,000 metric tons, according to Asia-based traders, buyers, sellers and analysts.
Upcoming events
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