S&P Global Inc. - SPGI STOCK NEWS

S&P Global Commodity Insights has been chosen by Conservation International, on behalf of the Kenyan government, to develop Kenya's REDD+ registry. This registry, set to be operational by Q2 2025, will track carbon credits from projects aimed at reducing deforestation and forest degradation. Kenya is positioning itself as a pioneer in Africa for creating a national registry of REDD+ projects.

The registry will utilize S&P Global's Environmental Registry, which is being relaunched with enhanced features for improved efficiency and user-friendliness. This development aligns with Kenya's climate goals and is expected to generate new revenue streams for the country and local communities. The project also highlights Africa's potential role in the global carbon credit market, with Kenya being a key player in voluntary carbon markets.

S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P DJI) and Brooklyn Investment Group have launched MyIndex™, a customizable version of S&P DJI's market-leading indices, on Brooklyn's managed accounts platform. This collaboration expands access to S&P DJI's indices, including core U.S. equity indices like the S&P 500®, S&P SmallCap 600®, and S&P MidCap 400®. The partnership allows market participants to build and implement bespoke, index-based portfolio solutions with automated tax-loss harvesting.

The initiative aims to meet the growing demand for indices and index-based solutions, offering investors more choice and flexibility. It reflects S&P DJI's commitment to engaging with various financial institutions and product providers to make their indices available through different channels and platforms.

The S&P Global Foundation has announced a new $5 million philanthropic grants program, selecting Girls Who Code and Conservation International as Signature Grant Partners. Each organization will receive $2.5 million over five years to address key areas aligned with U.N. Sustainable Development Goals:

1. Girls Who Code will train over 650,000 students for careers in technology and data, aiming to close the gender gap.

2. Conservation International will focus on restoring freshwater ecosystems globally to strengthen environmental resilience for vulnerable communities.

Since 2018, the S&P Global Foundation has awarded over $53 million to nonprofit organizations worldwide, emphasizing data-driven approaches to accelerate progress towards inclusive sustainable economies and thriving global communities.

The GEP Global Supply Chain Volatility Index fell to -0.37 in August 2024, indicating the highest level of spare capacity at global suppliers this year. This marks two consecutive months of underutilized capacity and the lowest level of input demand in eight months. Key findings include:

- North American suppliers reported the strongest rise in excess capacity since June 2023
- Asian supply chains showed spare capacity for the first time since March
- Europe's manufacturing recession deepened, especially in Germany and France
- Global demand for raw materials and components shrank at the strongest pace year-to-date
- Safety stockpiling reduced to the greatest extent since March
- Material shortages fell to their lowest level since January 2020

S&P Global Commodity Insights has announced the finalists for the 26th annual Platts Global Energy Awards, representing 33 countries across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The awards, often called the 'Oscars' of energy, recognize innovation, leadership, and performance in 19 categories across the energy and chemicals sectors. Key categories include Chief Executive of the Year, Commercial and Emerging Energy Transition Technologies, and Infrastructure Project of the Year.

Winners will be announced on December 12, 2024, at a black-tie gala in New York City. The event will be accompanied by an Excellence in Energy Conference on December 11 and a Clean Energy Technology Fundamentals workshop on December 10. The awards highlight industry pioneers driving progress and innovation towards a more sustainable future in the global energy community.

S&P Global Ratings (SPGR), a division of S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI), has reached a settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as part of an industry-wide investigation into off-channel communications. The settlement resolves violations of recordkeeping rules and involves SPGR agreeing to pay a penalty of USD 20 million. The SEC acknowledged SPGR's remedial actions and cooperation during the investigation. SPGR has expressed its commitment to regulatory compliance and maintaining the integrity of its ratings process. This matter was previously disclosed in S&P Global's public filings, and the company is pleased to have concluded the issue.

S&P Global Commodity Insights' Platts has launched the first-ever daily, physical spot market price assessments for South America lithium carbonate, effective September 2, 2024. The new Platts Lithium Triangle (LiT) price assessments aim to bring pricing transparency to an important lithium supply growth market, complementing existing battery metals prices across Asia, Americas, and Europe.

The assessments will reflect a minimum quality of 99.0% Li2CO3, with a minimum of five metric tons, loading 14 to 60 days forward, expressed in US dollars per metric ton. The Lithium Triangle, encompassing parts of Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile, is projected to be the largest contributor to global lithium supply growth over the next 5 years, with production expected to surpass 631,000 metric tons by 2028.

S&P Global Mobility reports a positive shift in automotive brand loyalty rates for the first half of 2024. The industry's brand loyalty rate stands at 52.5%, a 1.9 percentage point increase from 2023, marking the first year-over-year rise since 2020. More than half of all brands saw improvements of 1 percentage point or better, with mainstream and luxury brands increasing by 1.9 and 1.4 percentage points, respectively.

Key factors contributing to this growth include increased inventory levels and a strong pipeline of return-to-market households. However, the rise in brand loyalty has adversely affected conquest volume, with luxury brands experiencing a 6.4% decline and mainstream brands dropping 1% compared to the first half of 2023.

Tesla continues to lead in brand loyalty with a rate of 67.8%, while General Motors tops multi-brand manufacturers at 67.7%. The Lincoln Nautilus currently leads in model loyalty at 46.7%.

The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index reached a new all-time high in June 2024, reporting a 5.4% annual gain, down from 5.9% in the previous month. The 10-City and 20-City Composites saw annual increases of 7.4% and 6.5% respectively. New York led with the highest annual gain of 9.0%, followed by San Diego (8.7%) and Las Vegas (8.5%). The month-over-month changes showed a decelerating trend, with the National Index posting a 0.2% increase after seasonal adjustment.

Brian D. Luke, Head of Commodities, Real & Digital Assets at S&P DJI, noted that home prices continue to outpace inflation, with the National Index averaging 2.8% more than the Consumer Price Index. The analysis also revealed that in 75% of markets, lower-priced homes are appreciating faster than the overall market, potentially impacting affordability for first-time homebuyers.