The Decisive Podcast: Insights and analysis to empower confident decision-making.

Dijedon Imeri , principal analyst for Europe and CIS country risk at S&P Global Market Intelligence, joins host Kristen Hallam to discuss the European Union parliamentary elections and their potential impact on the business landscape. They explore the evolving risk environment in the EU and discuss indicators that businesses and investors should monitor. They also delve into the role of the Europe...

Join host Kristen Hallam as she discusses the US macroeconomic outlook with Ben Herzon , Executive Director and Co-Head of U.S. Economics at S&P Global Market Intelligence. They delve into the forecast for the US economy, including the expected slowdown in GDP growth and the factors contributing to this trend. Ben also addresses the outlook for inflation and a monetary policy pivot by the US Feder...

Welcome to The Decisive podcast, where our experts provide insights and analysis to empower confident decision-making. The Decisive merges the Economics & Country Risk and Maritime & Trade Talk podcasts.  In this episode, we dive into the recent election in South Africa and its potential impact on the country's business landscape. Joining host Kristen Hallam for this insightful discussion is Lange...

We analyze the recent election results in India, the world's largest democracy, and the potential impact on the country's business environment and on the broader geopolitical landscape. What are the new coalition government's policy priorities? Where can we expect policy continuity, and where might we see change?  Featured expert: Deepa Kumar, Head of Asia-Pacific Country Risk https://www.spglobal...

We analyze the recent election results in Mexico and their potential impact on the country's business environment and geopolitical landscape. Our experts discuss what the ruling MORENA party's victory in the presidential election and its success in state governorships and Congress mean for the legislative agenda, the economic outlook, and foreign policy.  Featured experts: Jose Enrique Sevilla-Mac...

In episode 220, our economists went beyond the monetary policy questions of when and how much to the implications of these pivots for businesses. In this episode, we delve further into the different narratives presented by central banks that are raising interest rates instead of cutting or looking to cut them, particularly in Turkey, Russia and Japan.  Featured experts:  Harumi Taguchi , principal...

Our economists share their perspectives on inflation, interest rates, and central bank policies. Gain valuable insights into the Fed's cautious stance and their focus on waiting for more inflation data. Explore the forecast for interest rate cuts in the eurozone and the potential impact on credit conditions and demand. We also discuss the vulnerability of currencies in emerging Europe to global pi...

We delve into the remarkable growth of Guyana's economy, which has been the fastest growing in the world for several years. Fueled by its booming oil and gas sector, Guyana's real GDP is projected to increase by 45% in 2024. Our senior economist provides insights into the factors driving this growth, including the rise in oil production and the government's focus on infrastructure and economic div...

In this episode, our expert economists dive into the world of Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) data and its impact on global markets. We kick off with an intriguing discussion on the reassessment of central bank policies and the implications for financial markets. The PMI economists delve into the key drivers of inflation, such as rising wages and material costs, and analyze the pricing power of f...

Our banking risk experts provide insight into events impacting the financial sector in emerging markets each month. In this episode, we delve into the trends and developments shaping the banking risk landscape in mainland China, Ukraine, emerging Europe, Argentina, and the United Arab Emirates.  Listen now to gain a deeper understanding of the factors influencing credit expansion and the potential...

The chip industry sits at the nexus of national security and economic development policies. That has resulted in a race both in supporting national investments in the semiconductor sector as well as escalating restrictions against sharing technology. This episode brings Economics and Country Risk together with the Next in Tech podcast, hosted by Eric Hanselman. Chris Rogers and John Abbott join Er...

The prolongation of existing — and emergence of new — armed conflicts will likely remain a major source of geopolitical instability in the world economy, according to our strategic report on key themes for 2024. Following Iran's recent strike on Israel, we pose the question: What could an escalation mean for the global economy?   Featured expert: Ken Wattret , Vice-President, Global Economics, S&P...

Companies are finding that supply chain disruption is not receding and the reliability of input, such as transportation is not returning to normal. We see a need to invest in resilience projects that cut risk and improve profitability, such as reshoring. Reshoring, of course, has its challenges, including labor costs and availability and infrastructure. We discuss those challenges in this episode....

Global demand continues to tread water, with the construction and manufacturing sectors facing headwinds from high interest rates. Suppliers are responding by controlling output, with sporadic idling and curtailed investment plans meaning less excess capacity in 2024 to absorb supply shocks. Along with logistics woes that cause higher rates and longer delivery times, risk is rising.  In this episo...

Steel prices are weak, and that makes it a buyer's market.  What's fueling that weakness? How long will it last? Where is demand strongest? Our expert provides insights into steel markets, including those for carbon steel and electrical steel, that will inform purchasing decisions now and into the future.   Featured expert:  John Anton , Director, Pricing and Purchasing, S&P Global Market Intellig...

Climate-related effects have been augmented by weather phenomena such as El Niño in certain geographies. This is impacting agricultural production while hampering policymakers' ability to contain food prices.  Countries such as India and Indonesia resorted to restricting exports of rice and palm oil in 2023 to prevent domestic civil unrest and inflation, chafing some trading partners. Russia's wit...

Climate-related effects have been augmented by weather phenomena such as El Niño in certain geographies. This is impacting agricultural production while hampering policymakers' ability to contain food prices.  Countries such as India and Indonesia resorted to restricting exports of rice and palm oil in 2023 to prevent domestic civil unrest and inflation, chafing some trading partners. Russia's wit...

In their first podcast of the year, our Purchasing Managers' Index team of economists provide insights on the impact of Red Sea shipping disruptions on supplier delivery times and where those effects are being felt the most. They also discuss the latest data on manufacturing and construction in the eurozone, through the prism of Greece and Italy. The team also unveils our newest PMI dataset, on Ro...

If you're a chocolate lover, you probably eat up headlines declaring how good it is for your health. You may also get alarmed by news stories of supply shortages or disruptions. But where does it come from and what route does it take to get to you?    In this episode, our experts reveal who the biggest players are in the global cocoa trade. (Spoiler alert: Switzerland is not the biggest exporter o...

National interest objectives will influence reordering of relationships between countries and in multilateral forums, impacting global challenges, flows of trade and investment. Countries will cooperate where objectives align, and areas of competition will likely increase. How faster-growing economies exercise their rising economic and geopolitical influence will be key. An important indicator und...

In our first episode of 2024, we talked about our top 10 predictions for the global economy in the coming year. In this episode, we unveil our U.S. regional economic predictions for 2024, a year of uncertainty as Americans prepare for elections in November.  You'll hear about our expectations for the unemployment rate, job growth, consumer price index inflation, real wage increases, domestic migra...

One of our key themes for 2024 is logistics rewired. At the world's largest ocean container shipping event, TPM, shippers and their transportation providers will have plenty to talk about. Navigation restrictions on the Panama Canal, rerouting from the Red Sea to avoid attacks from Houthi militants, the persistent issue of overcapacity. How is the shipping industry responding to these shocks and w...

In this episode, our experts provide regional insights into construction markets around the globe. Learn more about what's impacting construction spending in North and South America, Western and Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa.  This deeper dive into regional themes for 2024 follows our previous episode on the global outlook for contruction spending and illustrates the...

In this episode, we share insights from our webinar on the global construction outlook for 2024. We discuss changes in our macroeconomic forecast that inform our outlook for construction spending and provide an overview of regional construction markets.  Featured expert: Jeannine Cataldi , associate director, Global Construction Group, S&P Global Market Intelligence https://www.spglobal.com/en/ent...

S&P Global Market Intelligence sees five key overlapping themes for the year ahead. In this episode, we will cut across the themes of economic fault lines and resource security with a discussion of labor market trends we're tracking in 2024. Learn more about what trends will persist in 2024, and which will change direction.  Featured experts: Emily Crowley , Associate Director, Pricing and Purchas...