Daily Update — September 25, 2025
Legal Industry Driving Sustainability; GenAI and the Workforce; and APAC Economic Outlook
Today is Thursday, September 25, 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: How the legal industry drives sustainability and the energy transition | All Things Sustainable
In this episode of the “All Things Sustainable” podcast, Shane Gleghorn, head of law firm Taylor Wessing, explained how the legal industry drives sustainability and energy transition strategies.
Taylor Wessing is a member of the Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI), and this episode is the latest in our “Terra Carta Series,” coproduced with the SMI. The SMI is a network of over 250 global CEOs from companies across finance and industry, including S&P Global. SMI facilitates private sector diplomacy to make sustainability the driving force of global markets and value creation. Throughout 2025, we’re interviewing SMI member CEOs to discuss how they’re approaching sustainability challenges and opportunities.
Artificial Intelligence
Generative AI and the workforce: More redistribution than reduction
Department heads across industries and functions surveyed in late 2024 and early 2025 projected that AI investment would have a neutral to positive impact on employment. However, these respondents anticipated the redistribution of tasks and shifting employment patterns.
The employment impact of AI varies by company size and sector, with larger firms more likely to plan head count reductions. Roles in large corporations are typically more specialized and therefore easier to automate compared with the multifunctional positions common in small and medium-sized enterprises. IT and administrative functions in enterprises have had the strongest negative employment implications related to AI investment and task automation.
Economy
Economic Outlook Asia-Pacific Q4 2025: Growth To Ease On External Strain
S&P Global Ratings expects China's economy to slow to about 4% year over year in the second half of 2025 and in 2026 on weakening exports, tepid organic domestic demand and contained macro stimulus. Downward pressure on prices will persist. Across Asia-Pacific, relatively resilient domestic demand should dampen the impact from stronger external headwinds following the increase in US import tariffs and slower global growth.
Inflation is easing and currencies have strengthened against the US dollar. With US policy rates likely to come down further and policymakers looking to support growth, many central banks are likely to make additional cuts to their rates.
In case you missed it
- India is advancing its ambition to become a key participant in the global hydrogen market via new investments and policies while the sector looks to overcome project costs, access to infrastructure and production at scale through effective public-private sector collaboration.
- Indexes for US REIT stocks fell during the week ended Sept. 19, with the Dow Jones Equity All REIT Index down 1.64% from the previous week and the MSCI US REIT Index down 1.66%.
- The recent closure of several major Chinese ports in preparation for Super Typhoon Ragasa could create shipping delays and exacerbate congestion at Southeast Asian ports.
Upcoming events
- Recent NAIC Developments Relating to Insurer Fixed-Income Investments | September 29 (Webinar)
- Sustainability in Focus: Integrating Sustainability into your Supply Chain Analysis | September 30 (Webinar)
- Global Credit Conditions Q4: Down But Not Out – Trade Tensions Remain | October 1 (Webinar)