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Daily Update — May 7, 2026

Sustainable Supply Chains; AI Reshapes Cybersecurity; and Inflation Acceleration

Today is Thursday, May 7, 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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Energy Transition & Sustainability

Listen: Climate Week Zurich: How Swiss food giant Nestlé tackles sustainable supply chains

 

S&P Global Sustainable1’s “All Things Sustainable” is the official podcast of the first-ever Climate Week Zurich, taking place May 4-9, and will bring special daily episodes from throughout the event. In this episode, host Lindsey Hall spoke to Benjamin Ware, global head of climate and sustainable sourcing for Nestlé, the world’s largest food and beverage company. The Swiss company has about 271,000 employees and sells its products across 185 countries.

 

Ware explained how Nestlé is enhancing its supply chain traceability, using nature-based solutions to address emissions, and working with farmers to improve sustainability outcomes and productivity.

Artificial Intelligence

Firewall as the Frontline

 

Cybersecurity has come under increased scrutiny amid advances in AI. The preview of Anthropic’s new AI model, Claude Mythos, has raised concerns among government and industry officials about its broader implications for an increasingly digital economy. Cybercrime has expanded alongside digital commerce, exploiting the anonymity and borderless nature of the web to grow in scale and sophistication. Global cybersecurity spending, estimated at $220 billion, is forecast to increase 13% annually, underscoring the sector’s rising importance as AI reshapes the threat landscape.

 

Given its significance to the economy, cybersecurity is one of 25 themes within the S&P Kensho New Economies framework driving Industry 4.0, in which manufacturing is being transformed through advanced digital technologies. The S&P Kensho Cyber Security Index only includes companies whose primary business is cybersecurity, reflecting the sector’s depth and maturity.

Global Trade

Global PMI shows prices rising sharply amid worsening supply chain delays

 

In April, the Global Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) survey, sponsored by J.P. Morgan and compiled by S&P Global Market Intelligence, recorded the sharpest spike in producer input costs since June 2022, and the rate of inflation accelerated sharply for a third successive month. Since the Middle East war began at the end of February, the PMI’s Input Prices Index has risen to its highest level since the start of 2010.

 

Higher energy prices resulting from the war have accelerated inflation. According to an analysis of survey contributor commentary, energy costs are exerting their strongest upward pressure on companies’ costs since October 2022. The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has also driven higher shipping costs, putting upward pressure on prices for goods and factory inputs.

In case you missed it

  • Indian refiners raised LPG production by more than 30% in March to offset import shortages caused by the war in the Middle East, a trend expected to continue in the coming months, according to government data and industry sources.
  • The Middle East war is set to cause an aluminum supply shortage that is expected to heavily affect the global electronics industry, John Mitchell, president and CEO of the Global Electronics Association, told Platts, part of S&P Global Energy.
  • The insurance industry faces an escalating threat from extreme weather, pushing insurers and reinsurers to reassess their risk exposure.

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