S&P Global

S&P Global
source
Name	S&P Global
Type	Public
Traded as	NYSE: SPGI
Industry	Financial services, Information services
Founded	0 1860 (as Henry Varnum Poor Company)
Founder	Henry Varnum Poor
Hq location	New York City, New York, U.S.
Key people	Douglas L. Peterson (President & CEO)
Products	Credit ratings, financial indices, market intelligence, commodity and energy insights

S&P Global. It is a major American publicly traded corporation, providing essential financial intelligence and analytics to capital markets and commodity markets worldwide. The company is renowned for its influential credit rating agency, S&P Global Ratings, and its flagship stock market index, the S&P 500. Through its diverse divisions, it delivers critical data, benchmarks, and research that underpin global finance and economic decision-making.

History

The corporation traces its origins to 1860 with the publication of *History of Railroads and Canals in the United States* by Henry Varnum Poor, forming the Henry Varnum Poor Company. In 1941, that firm merged with Standard Statistics Bureau, founded by Luther Lee Blake, to form Standard & Poor's Corporation. A pivotal moment came in 1966 when the company was acquired by The McGraw-Hill Companies. The modern entity was created through the 2016 merger of McGraw Hill Financial with S&P Dow Jones Indices, followed by a rebranding to S&P Global in 2016. Significant milestones include the launch of its first stock index in 1923 and the introduction of the iconic S&P 500 in 1957, cementing its role in Wall Street and international markets.

Business segments

S&P Global operates through four primary, complementary divisions. S&P Global Ratings is one of the "Big Three" agencies, providing credit ratings and research on governments, corporations, and structured finance. S&P Global Market Intelligence offers integrated financial data, research, and analytics platforms to financial institutions and investment professionals. S&P Global Commodity Insights delivers essential price assessments and analysis for the energy transition, commodity, and power markets. Finally, S&P Global Mobility (formerly IHS Automotive) provides data and insights focused on the automotive industry and sustainable mobility.

Products and services

The company's portfolio includes some of the most recognized benchmarks and data sets in finance. Its index business, operated through S&P Dow Jones Indices, maintains the S&P 500, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, and thousands of other equity, fixed income, and commodity indices. Core services include Platts commodity pricing, Capital IQ and SNL Financial platforms for market intelligence, and CRISIL for emerging market analytics. It also provides specialized tools like Panjiva for global trade data and 451 Research for information technology insights, serving clients from hedge funds to multinational corporations.

Corporate governance

The company is led by a board of directors chaired by Douglas L. Peterson, who also serves as President and Chief Executive Officer. Other key executives include Ewout Steenbergen, the Chief Financial Officer. The board includes several independent directors with backgrounds in finance, technology, and international business. The firm is incorporated in Maryland and maintains its global headquarters in New York City. Its governance policies emphasize risk management, ethical conduct, and corporate responsibility, with oversight committees addressing audit, compensation, and nominating and governance.

Financial performance

As a constituent of the S&P 500 and the Fortune 500, the company reports substantial annual revenue, primarily driven by subscription-based services across its divisions. Its financial results are closely watched by investors as an indicator of activity in financial markets and commodity sectors. Performance is influenced by market volatility, interest rate environments, and mergers and acquisitions activity, which drive demand for its ratings, data, and analytics. The company's stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker NYSE: SPGI and is held by major institutional investors and index funds.

Acquisitions and divestitures

S&P Global has significantly expanded its capabilities through a strategic history of mergers and acquisitions. Major transactions include the 2011 purchase of Coalition Development Ltd. for energy market analytics, the 2012 acquisition of CRISIL, a leading India-based ratings and research firm, and the 2016 combination with S&P Dow Jones Indices. Its largest deal was the 2022 merger with IHS Markit, a global leader in financial information services, in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $44 billion. The company has also divested non-core assets, such as the 2013 sale of Aviation Week to Penton.

Category:Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange Category:Financial services companies of the United States Category:Companies based in Manhattan