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Daily Update — November 07, 2025

Asia's Coal Dilemma; Data Center Investments; and October VC Funding Value

Today is Friday, November 7, 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.

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Energy Transition & Sustainability

Listen: Asia's coal transition dilemma amid renewable energy push

 

Amid a global push toward renewable energy, the long-standing dependence of many Asian countries on coal has come into focus. Discussions center on whether these nations can transition from primarily fossil fuel-based energy to cleaner sources, especially as major coal consumers India and China increase their self-reliance on coal.

 

In this episode of the "Commodities Focus" podcast, S&P Global Commodity Insights' Andre Lambine, Tanya Jain and Anirudh Iyer spoke with host Vaibhav Chakraborty to discuss the pros and cons of energy stability in Asian countries.

Artificial Intelligence

Data center investments are increasingly moving the macro needle

 

The data center boom powering the AI revolution is moving the macro needle, particularly in the US. Data centers and related high-tech investment activities are already key drivers of the country's growth, with estimates suggesting that 80% of the growth in final private domestic demand in the first half of 2025 came from data centers and high-tech-related spending. The AI revolution, including ongoing data center investment as well as any larger macro payoff down the road, seems set to be a major driver of economic activity for years to come. This is a potentially positive macro story, but it will inevitably raise distribution issues.

 

This article is part of S&P Global's upcoming research journal, Look Forward: Data Center Frontiers, to be published in December. The journal will provide a global perspective on AI-driven data center growth and offer insights into sector economics, energy resources, financing, geopolitics and technological advancements.

Private Markets

Value of VC funding rounds down in October, on track for yearly gain

 

The value of global private equity- and venture capital-backed funding rounds declined for a second consecutive month in October. The total transaction value for the month reached $31.11 billion, down over 3% from $32.30 billion in September, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence.

 

Despite this, the transaction value in 2025 is on track to surpass that of 2024, with $324.69 billion recorded through Oct. 31. The figure represents approximately 98% of the 2024 total, with two months remaining in the year.

In case you missed it

  • The third quarter was quiet for Asia-Pacific insurance M&A activity, with only 14 deals announced. In North America, insurance underwriters and brokers were involved in 150 deals during the quarter.
  • Americans are paying for over half a billion video subscriptions through the three big sources of video services: traditional multichannel, streaming apps and virtual multichannel.
  • Despite ongoing economic uncertainties and geopolitical tensions, the assets of exchange-traded funds surpassed $18 trillion globally in October, underscoring the resilience of the investment vehicles and their growing importance within the investment landscape.

Upcoming events

The next edition of the Daily Update will be published Wednesday, November 12.