Daily Update — October 8, 2026
Economic Value of Nature; Economic Expansion Reaches All Sectors; and AI Changes Corporate Growth Plans
Today is Thursday, October 8, 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: Conservation International CEO on making the case for nature in the boardroom
In this episode of the “All Things Sustainable” podcast, Conservation International CEO Sebastian Troëng joined hosts Lindsey Hall and Esther Whieldon to explain how protecting and restoring nature are key to solving the challenge of climate change. Troëng also highlighted how companies can articulate the economic value of nature to resonate with corporate decision-makers.
"Nature is actually our best ally to address climate change," Troëng said. "What boardrooms need to understand is if they want to continue to have a revenue flow in the future, they need to contribute to conserve that nature that allows them to have a business model."
Economy
Global PMI hits joint-highest since 2021 as economic expansion reaches all sectors
Global business activity growth gained momentum for a sixth straight month in September, signaling the joint-fastest economic growth since November 2021. The J.P. Morgan Global Composite PMI Output Index, compiled by S&P Global, rose to 54.3 in September from 53.5 in August, matching the highs of May 2023 and December 2021. This level has not been exceeded since the post-COVID-19 economic rebound in late 2021.
Historical comparisons indicate that the September Purchasing Managers’ Index is broadly indicative of global GDP growth running at an annualized rate of 3.4%, with overall third-quarter growth of 3.0% above the long-run average.
Artificial Intelligence
How AI is changing the growth outlook across industries
AI is increasingly reshaping corporate growth plans. As hyperscalers expand data center capacity, demand is cascading through the infrastructure stack. Consensus data from Visible Alpha, part of S&P Global Market Intelligence, shows how this spending is beginning to change revenue mixes, pricing power and investment priorities across companies in the Asia-Pacific region, North America and Europe.
S&P Global Market Intelligence examined this shift across the AI infrastructure ecosystem, from memory and semiconductors to data centers, connectivity, industrial equipment, cloud computing and power.
In case you missed it
- US bank stocks diverged from the broader market following the Federal Reserve's Sept. 16 rate hike, which brought down sector valuations.
- Residential real estate transaction volumes of Dubai, UAE, have significantly dropped due to the Middle East war. However, specific segments of the market are experiencing a moderate price correction.
- South Korea's refining industry expects stable crude procurement through year-end, supported by government measures, enabling major refiners to sustain clean oil product exports to Asia-Pacific customers and help cover regional essential fuel shortfalls.
Upcoming events
- Powering APAC’s AI Infrastructure Future | October 14 (Webinar)
- Compass Series 2026, Baltics: Mapping Energy Expansion with Sustainability | October 22 (Riga, Latvia)
- Africa Summit 2026 | November 10-11 (Lagos, Nigeria)