Lumber prices have dropped sharply in recent months, leading other commodities down from the levels seen after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. A surge in home prices and an uptick in mortgage rates have deterred home buyers, home renovators and builders, dampening demand for lumber. Our commodities experts discuss the outlook for prices that are still higher than their pre-pandemic averages. John Anton, director, Pricing and Purchasing, S&P Global Market Intelligence https://experts.ihsmarkit.com/experts/anton-John Deni Koenhemsi, associate director, Pricing and Purchasing, S&P Global Market Intelligence https://experts.ihsmarkit.com/experts/koenhemsi-deni

Increased pricing pressures are being felt across the Sub-saharan Africa. Banks have hiked their policy rates by 100, 150 and even 200 bases points dependent on the market. Utilizing our nowcasting PMI data and our forecasting data our regional experts delve into the key differentiators between SSA data and our developed markets data to get a better picture of the underlying pressures impacting the local economies and what we can expect in the months ahead. Thea Fourie Associate Director, Sub-Saharan Africa Economics, S&P Global Market Intelligence https://experts.ihsmarkit.com/experts/fourie-thea Langelihle Malimela Senior Analyst, Country Risk, Africa, S&P Global Market Intelligence https://experts.ihsmarkit.com/experts/malimela-langelihle Ronel Oberholzer, Principal Economist, S&P Global Market Intelligence Andrew Harker Director, Economic Indices, S&P Global Market Intelligence https://experts.ihsmarkit.com/experts/harker-andrew

With a decrease in food outputs linked to the Russia-Ukraine war, how are businesses and governments coping with rising food costs and the knock-on inflationary effects? Our experts assess the on-the-ground realities to understand the implications for long-term growth and stability. John Raines, PhD, Director, Country Risk (moderator) Ken Wattret, Chief European Economist Paul Hughes, Chief Agricultural Economist & Director of Research, Agribusiness Alex Kokcharov, Principal Research Analyst, Russia Jihane Boudiaf, Country Risk Analyst, Middles East and Africa

While digital technology allows people to connect at unprecedented scale and speed without concern for proximity, it has also allowed malicious actors to do the same. Sharing innovations, skills, and tools, cyber-threat actors present a growing concern to governments and businesses as attacks become increasingly frequent and complex. The influx of remote workforces, new technologies, and growing geopolitical tensions have created opportunities for cyber criminals and state actors to take advantage of company vulnerabilities. Our experts discuss the evolving nature of the threats facing firms and how organizations are attempting to counteract these ongoing dangers. John Raines, PhD, Director, Country Risk (moderator) Scott Crawford, Research Director, Security, 451 Research Cassandra Pagan, Consulting Principal, Cyber and Quantification Jordan Anderson, Senior analyst, County Risk Read more: ihsmarkit.com/ecr

Local COVID-related lockdowns in mainland China, the war in Ukraine, labor shortages, and supply chain disruptions continue to negatively impact the global economy – especially in China and surrounding geographies. Our PMI surveys are showing some of the steepest reductions in overall Chinese business activity and new orders since the initial wave of the pandemic in 2020. Digging deeper into the underlying numbers, our PMI team discusses what this all means for manufacturing health, labor markets, and local policy. Paul Smith, Director, Economic Indices Annabel Fiddes, Economics Associate Director, Economic Indices Andrew Harker, Director, Economic Indices

A number of critical elections in 2022 will influence more than who holds political office. With a rapidly shifting political landscape and an ongoing conflict in Eastern Europe, we are watching the lead-up and outcomes closely to understand the direct influence the results will have on trade policy, security, migration, supply chains, and climate agendas. Our Economics & Country Risk experts discuss the importance to your business of upcoming elections in the United States, Australia, Brazil, and Colombia and the influence these will have beyond country borders. John Raines, Ph.D., Director, Country Risk (moderator) Chris Varvares, Vice President, US Economics Carlos Caicedo, Associate Director, Latin America Hannah Cotillon, Senior Analyst, Asia Bree Neff, Economics Director, Asia

Join our metals experts, John Anton and John Mothersole as they delve into the volatility of metals pricing in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and with the growing COVID-19 outbreak in China. These two factors two factors are placing immense stress on steel, copper, and aluminum markets. And while we usually hear a singular global story – this month regions are telling their own pricing tales. What does this mean for buyers, manufacturers, and consumers? How high is too high? John Anton, Director, Pricing and Purchasing https://experts.ihsmarkit.com/experts/anton-john John Mothersole, Research Director, Pricing and Purchasing https://experts.ihsmarkit.com/experts/mothersole-john

Like most of the world, the Sub-Saharan African region is only slowly starting to recover from the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. With growing supply chain disruptions, rising inflation, and growing uncertainty due to the war between Russia and Ukraine, the region is facing additional recovery challenges. Our experts discuss the sharp escalation in global food prices, such as wheat and cooking oil; the implications of the high oil price in the region; and consequences of disruptive trade flows. Can the region make a rebound? The answer is complicated. Alisa Strobel, Senior Economist https://ihsmarkit.com/experts/strobel-alisa.html Thea Fourie, Associate Director, Sub-Saharan Africa Economics https://experts.ihsmarkit.com/experts/fourie-thea Ronel Oberholzer, Principal Economist Archbold Macheka, Economist, Sub Saharan Africa https://experts.ihsmarkit.com/experts/macheka-archbold The contents of this podcast was created by S&P Global Market Intelligence and not by S&P Global Ratings, which is a separately managed division of S&P Global. ihsmarkit.com/ecr

Our PMI(TM) team digs into the February PMI survey results which indicate waning impacts from COVID-19 on the services economies and large bounces across the Globe. While several countries are still feeling the pressures from lockdowns and continuing waves of uncertainty, improving demand, capacity and business confidence are showing positive signs of improvement. The team also addresses the impact of firms passing on rising operating costs to end users and clients. What will this mean for sustained economic growth and are these ripples and waves strong enough to continue to improve with rising geopolitical turmoil? Paul Smith, Director, PMI https://ihsmarkit.com/experts/smith-paul.html Joseph Hayes, Senior Economist, PMI https://experts.ihsmarkit.com/experts/hayes-joseph Andrew Harker, Director, PMI https://experts.ihsmarkit.com/experts/harker-andrew The contents of this podcast were published by S&P Global Market Intelligence and not by S&P Global Ratings, which is a separately managed division of S&P Global.

Pricing pressures on nonferrous metals have negatively impacted the machinery and equipment categories – specifically electrical machinery. If we layer on supply issues around transformers, motors, and generators we are facing a whole new challenge around availability and cost. And this time it could hit the consumer wallet. What's behind the long lead times and shortages? What will this mean for refrigerator motors, electric car motors, and more? Our pricing and purchasing team tackle the real story in this new supply chain disruption. John Anton https://ihsmarkit.com/experts/anton-john.html Maxwell Clarke https://ihsmarkit.com/experts/clarke-maxwell.html