Daily Update — May 21, 2025
Sustainability Strategies; IT Roundup; and US Trade Representative’s Office Port Fee Requests
Today is Wednesday, May 21, 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.
Energy Transition & Sustainability
Listen: Why businesses are going ‘back to basics’ in sustainability strategies
Amid geopolitical volatility and policy uncertainty, stakeholders are using the term “back to basics” to describe their approach to sustainability. In this episode of the “All Things Sustainable” podcast, hear interviews with three speakers from the annual S&P Global Sustainable1 Summit.
Hosts Lindsey Hall and Esther Whieldon sat down with Jessica Fries, executive chair of Accounting for Sustainability; Min Guan, head of systems insights at the Energy Transitions Commission; and Alex Grants, UK country manager for Equinor, to discuss how businesses are navigating this environment.
Artificial Intelligence
451 IT Insider: A roundup for IT decision-makers
The enterprise technology landscape is becoming increasingly divided, with some organizations leveraging generative AI to drive meaningful outcomes, while others struggle to realize its potential. The emergence of agentic AI is transforming IT by enabling autonomous decision-making across various areas, including customer support, finance and supply chain management. However, challenges — such as integration with legacy systems, governance issues and the need for high-quality data — complicate implementation and raise concerns about privacy and ethics.
As businesses prioritize digitalization to improve efficiency and address labor shortages, the demand for robust cybersecurity has surged, highlighted by investments such as Google’s acquisition of cloud security company Wiz. However macroeconomic factors, including changing trade policies, create uncertainty that affects technology spending.
Global Trade
Shipping industry to seek USTR port fees rejig on size, ownership
Shipping industry stakeholders are advocating for an increase in the deadweight tonnage limit to 85,000 deadweight tons (dwt) to qualify for exemptions from proposed fees by the US Trade Representative’s Office on China-built ships owned and operated by non-Chinese companies. The stakeholders are also requesting a review of regulations concerning ships owned by Chinese companies but operated by foreign entities. Currently, ships that are Chinese-built but not Chinese-owned qualify for fee exemptions only if they are under the 80,000 dwt threshold.
With several China-built tankers and dry bulk carriers in the 80,001-85,000 dwt range operated by non-Chinese firms, raising the exemption limit would allow more vessels to benefit from fee waivers. Experts argued that increasing the limit to 83,000-85,000 dwt would cover all cargoes, including those transporting grains into the US.
In case you missed it
- For months, there has been an extremely low availability of rice in Japan. Despite Tokyo's efforts to mitigate the supply crisis of this staple, local rice prices have reached record levels.
- Taiwan recently took steps to shut its final nuclear reactor on the expiration of its 40-year operating license as it transitions to natural gas-fired generation and renewable energy.
- Bigger US bank balance sheets did not translate to strong loan growth in the first quarter as the industry took a cautious approach to deploying fresh assets.
Upcoming events
- Tariffs and Supply Chain Dynamics: Assessing Customer and Supplier Risk in a Global Market | May 22 (Webinar)
- Implications of a Potential Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Repeal on U.S. Energy Markets | May 22 (Webinar)
- Global Credit Conditions: An Update On The Credit Impact Of Shifting Trade Dynamics | May 23 (Webinar)