Look Forward

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100

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Jun 2026

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About the show

Welcome to The Look Forward Podcast from S&P Global. In today's rapidly shifting markets, success depends on anticipating what's next. The professionals who excel are those who can spot emerging trends before they fully materialize. The Look Forward Podcast delivers exactly that—insights to help you prepare for tomorrow's opportunities and challenges. We bring you expert perspectives on macroeconomic trends, capital markets, energy transition, and global trade, with a sharp focus on what these developments mean for the decisions that will shape your tomorrow. This podcast connects you with S&P Global's Look Forward Council, bringing cutting-edge research on long-term trends and transformative market shifts. Together, we're committed to providing the forward-looking intelligence you need to navigate uncertainty with confidence.

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June 16, 202638 min

Partner Perspectives: Inside the Forces Driving Resilience and Expansion in Private Markets | Look Forward Ep. 31

In this premiere episode of Partner Perspectives, a special miniseries within the Look Forward podcast, host Molly Mintz examines how private markets are reshaping capital formation, portfolio construction, and long-term investment strategy. Drawing on S&P Global and Vanguard's joint research, Partner Perspectives: Unlocking Potential Ahead, this conversation explores why companies are staying private longer, how private equity has expanded in scale and influence, and what today's higher-rate environment means for returns and risk. Vanguard's Bill Stout outlines an optimistic but measured view on private equity—emphasizing that disciplined underwriting, operational execution, diversification, and manager selection matter more than ever as the era of easy exits fades. S&P Global's Evan Gunter and Ilja Hauerhof discuss private credit's rapid expansion, the rising trend of manager concentration, and how asset-based finance has emerged as a major growth engine. In addition, they highlight risks that are shaping this market evolution—including liquidity constraints and structural complexity—and explain why greater transparency, standardized reporting, and data-driven insights will be essential to unlocking the next phase of private market growth.  Chapters: [00:00] - Introduction to Partner Perspectives and the future of private markets [02:55] - Bill Stout on how capital formation has shifted from public to private markets [05:15] - The biggest risks facing private equity in a higher-rate, slower-exit environment [07:25] - Public vs. private equity performance, illiquidity premiums, and return dispersion [08:50] - Why Vanguard's outlook for private equity is optimistic but measured [10:55] - The case for manager selection and diversification across strategies, vintages, and regions [13:25] - What's next: secondaries, democratized access, and fee compression [16:15] - Transition to private credit with Evan Gunter and Ilja Hauerhof [17:45] - How private credit evolved after the GFC and why private companies are getting bigger [20:35] - Concentration risk and the growing dominance of the top five credit managers [22:45] - Asset-based finance, fund finance, and infrastructure as the next frontier [27:35] - Key risks in private credit: liquidity, transparency, and complexity [32:35] - Why standardized data and clearer reporting are critical for future growth [35:15] - Final takeaways and where to find more research from S&P Global and Vanguard This podcast was authored by a cross-section of representatives from S&P Global and in certain circumstances external guest authors. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities they represent and are not necessarily reflected in the products and services those entities offer. This research is a publication of S&P Global and does not comment on current or future credit ratings or credit rating methodologies.

June 4, 202623 min

Middle East Tensions: Power, Pressure Points, and Pathways | Look Forward Ep. 30

In this episode of the Look Forward podcast, host Aries Poon is joined by Carlos Pascual, Head of Geopolitics and International Affairs at S&P Global's Energy Division, to examine the Middle East conflict through a wider geopolitical lens. Drawing on decades of experience in diplomacy, energy security, and international affairs, Carlos explains why this crisis matters far beyond the region.

May 19, 202616 min

Middle East Tensions: Global growth, inflation, and risk | Look Forward Ep. 29

In this episode of Look Forward, host Aries Poon discusses the macroeconomic implications of the Middle East conflict with Paul Gruenwald, Global Chief Economist at S&P Global Ratings. Paul explains how the crisis has evolved through three stages, flow shock, supply shock, and market shock—with the current focus on physical shortages and depleted buffer stocks, especially in energy-importing countries with limited resilience. He highlights that the conflict has neutralized earlier growth tailwinds, increasing downside risks and complicating the policy landscape as inflation rises while economic output slows. The episode underscores how the unsynchronized global economy—with the U.S., Europe, and China experiencing divergent impacts—amplifies these risks. Central banks are largely in "hawkish hold" mode, with potential rate hikes ahead if inflation pressures persist, all amid a fragile, fragmented global recovery.

April 27, 202647 min

Post-CERAWeek: Power, Policy and the Electrotech Age | Look Forward Ep. 28

Energy has moved back to the center of corporate strategy and public policy—and AI is a major reason why. In this episode of the Look Forward Podcast from S&P Global, host Aries Poon is joined by S&P Global experts Aneesh Prabhu, Ashutosh Singh, and Raoul LeBlanc to discuss the fast-changing energy reality now confronting utilities, investors, and governments. Related Research: Look Forward: Energy Futures Upstream is back … but different Has the electrotech age arrived? More Look Forward: Look Forward Homepage

April 16, 202625 min

Digital Euro: Strategic Autonomy, Bank Deposit Risk, and What a Retail CBDC Really Means | Look Forward Ep. 27

The European Central Bank has entered the preparation phase for a digital euro—and political momentum is building toward a potential launch before 2030. In this episode, host Aries is joined by Cihan Duran (Ratings) and Shuchita Shukla (Market Intelligence) to break down what the digital euro is (and isn't), why EU policymakers are prioritizing it now, and what it could mean for payments, consumers, banks, and financial stability.

March 13, 202625 min

Power, Data, and Policy: How Technology Is Rewiring Geopolitics in the Age of Agility | Look Forward Podcast Ep. 26

In this episode of the Look Forward Podcast from S&P Global, host Aries Poon speaks with Natznet Tesfay, Global Head of Analysis at S&P Global Market Intelligence, about how technology is becoming the decisive game changer in geopolitics as we approach 2026. They explore why geopolitics has shifted from sporadic shocks to a constant operating condition, and how traditional stabilizers like frictionless trade, predictable regulation, and cheap capital are becoming "unmoored." Natznet explains S&P Global's concept of the "age of agility" and why policy itself is now a major source of market volatility, requiring leaders to track it as closely as macro data.

February 26, 202620 min

AI Labor Market Disruption

AI is everywhere in the headlines—but what does it actually mean for jobs? In this episode of the Look Forward Podcast from S&P Global, host Aries Poon is joined by Sophie Malin (Principal Economist, Global Labor Markets) and Pollyanna De Lima (Economics Associate Director, Purchasing Managers' Index/PMI) to separate hype from real-world labor market signals. The conversation starts with a crucial distinction: AI development (chips, data centers, capital-intensive buildouts) versus AI deployment (using AI inside everyday business processes)—and why deployment is what truly rewires hiring, productivity, and work design. Drawing on PMI special survey insights, Pollyanna breaks down where adoption is spreading fastest (with Northern Europe leading), which sectors are moving first (notably financial services and professional/business services), and how adoption differs across services vs. manufacturing. The guests also dig into what companies are optimizing for today—efficiency and customer outcomes over headcount cuts—and why the near-term impact may look more like slower hiring and shifting job tasks. Looking ahead, Sophie and Pollyanna outline the biggest unknowns: how quickly AI capability improves, what happens to entry-level and graduate pipelines, whether productivity gains translate into hiring freezes, and how governments might respond if employment and tax bases come under pressure. They also point to key indicators to watch, including the PMI Employment Index and business outlook/hiring intentions measures, to track how labor demand evolves in real time.

February 16, 202634 min

Credit Risks of The Current AI Data Center Infrastructure Investment Boom

The exponential expansion of global AI investment looks set to continue at scale in 2026, with hyperscalers on track to spend $625 billion in aggregate data center capex by year-end. The boom is also lifting players that supply the ecosystem, with near-term demandoutstripping the supply of new data center capacity and corresponding investments materially boosting growth in the broader U.S. economy. Whether AI adoption and monetization will accelerate enough to turn this early investment‑led economic boost into lasting productivity and financial returns is yet to be seen. But as funding for this expansion shifts from equity markets to debt markets (fueled largely by private credit), some risks have elevated—as a result, in part, from the surge of investments that increasingly rely on debt and the rise of increasingly complex and circular financing structures. In this episode of the Look Forward Podcast, co-host Molly Mintz explores the credit risks of data center development with Pierre Georges, Managing Director and Head of Infrastructure Research at S&P Global Ratings. Their conversation explores the 2026 digital infrastructure outlook; analyzes the execution, financial, and contractual risks of the AI-driven data center buildout from a credit perspective; and highlights the development dynamics of power and grid bottlenecks, supply -chain constraints, and tensions between growth, affordability, and decarbonization. We also discuss S&P Global Ratings' view on what could lead to the emergence of winners and losers across the ecosystem, and the leading indicators to watch for an AI investment slowdown—including changes in enterprise adoption and monetization, supply and demand dynamics across the semiconductor supply chain, performance signals from key partners, the scale of hyperscalers' capex plans, and major players' investment behavior. For more Look Forward content, please visit the Look Forward homepage.

February 5, 202636 min

Oil's 2026 Crosscurrents

In this early-2026 market check-in, host Andy Critchlow (S&P Global Energy) sits down with Jim Burkhard (Head of Crude Oil Analytics and Research) to unpack a turbulent start to the year for oil prices—driven by geopolitics and real-world supply disruptions. They examine three major forces shaping markets: uncertainty around Iran, shifting expectations for Venezuelan heavy crude exports and potential production growth, and Black Sea loading issues affecting Kazakh flows. The conversation also digs into the "heavy crude" constraint (including the need for diluent), what it would take for international oil companies to reinvest in Venezuela, and why US onshore output is proving more resilient even in a lower-price environment. On the demand side, they explore how China's gasoline and diesel use has plateaued amid rapid EV adoption, what that means for global growth, and whether India (and potentially parts of Africa) can become the next big demand engine. For more Look Forward content, please visit the Look Forward homepage.

January 29, 202624 min

AI, Energy, and Geopolitics: Insights from Davos 2026

Amid geopolitical friction, economic uncertainty, and rapid technological disruption, the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos convenes global leaders around a "spirit of dialogue." In this episode of the Look Forward Podcast, host Molly sits down with S&P Global Ratings Chief Global Economist Paul Gruenwald and S&P Global Energy Chief Strategist Atul Arya, fresh to Switzerland, to unpack what mattered most—and what it signals for 2026. Together, they explore how AI is "moving the macro needle" through a data-center investment boom, and whether the next phase will deliver the productivity gains markets are already pricing in. They also dig into AI's less-discussed constraint: power—from turbine shortages and transmission bottlenecks to rising electricity prices and the collision between hyperscalers' speed and the power sector's slower build cycle. The conversation covers to energy markets and geopolitics, including why recent shocks haven't yet upended oil pricing, why the debate has shifted from energy transition to energy expansion, and how LNG and trade balances are becoming increasingly intertwined. Additionally, the interview covers how Davos attendees expressed attention to the erosion of trust in the global world order and why a more fragmented approach may become the status quo. For more Look Forward content, please visit the Look Forward homepage. More From Paul and Atul: Look Forward Journal: Data Center Frontiers The CERAWeek Podcast with Atul Arya Subscribe to Paul Gruenwald's "Essential Economics Newsletter" on Linkedin