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Daily Update — March 27, 2026

Data Centers and Local Governments; Iran Conflict; and Poultry’s Price Flip

Today is Friday, March 27, 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.

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Artificial Intelligence

Everywhere, All At Once: How The Growth Of Data Centers Could Carry Risks For U.S. Local Governments

 

Fueled by AI advancements, the demand for well-positioned data centers continues to soar in the US. The financial arrangements between developers and local governments will determine how data centers affect local government credit quality, according to analysts at S&P Global Ratings.

 

The construction of data centers can provide short-term boosts to communities, as well as ongoing financial benefits to local governments through taxes on real property and tangible personal property, the analysts said. However, there is tension between the promise of data center development, the challenge of housing affordability and the desire for greater transparency in data centers’ resource use, increasing the importance of long-term financial planning.

Global Trade

US has few good options on Strait of Hormuz, former defense secretary says

 

The US has few clear or favorable strategic options in its conflict with Iran, according to James Mattis, who was US Defense Secretary during President Donald Trump’s first term. US and Israeli attacks have significantly degraded Iran's military capacity, Mattis said, but are unlikely to prevent the country from exerting control over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

 

"I don't think we can just walk away from it now that we've broken that construct, and say we won and so it's over," Mattis said March 23 at S&P Global’s CERAWeek conference in Houston. "We're in a tough spot, ladies and gentlemen, and I can't identify a lot of good options."

Energy & Commodities

Listen: Unpacking the global poultry price flip: Why are chicken legs now pricier than breast meat?

 

In December 2025, the price of frozen boneless chicken legs shipped to North Asia exceeded the price of skinless boneless breast meat shipped to the Middle East for the first time since Platts began assessing these markets in 2024. Platts is a part of S&P Global Energy.

 

In this episode of the “Commodities Focus” podcast, S&P Global Energy experts Graham Style, Rubashiny Veeramohan and Jessie Khor discussed how global events and shifting demand are reshaping the poultry market.

In case you missed it

  • Soaring oil prices have prompted broad increases in earnings forecasts for the world’s largest oil and gas companies, reflecting stronger upstream revenue and more resilient downstream margins.
  • There were eight global corporate defaults in February, down from 10 in January. Five of the February defaults were from repeat defaulters, S&P Global Ratings said.
  • March Madness, the NCAA basketball tournament, is a case study in how premium sports rights can be repackaged and monetized in an increasingly fragmented US market, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence Kagan analysts.

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