Equity (Schedule of stock repurchases) (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Millions, $ in Millions |
1 Months Ended | 3 Months Ended | 9 Months Ended | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dec. 31, 2015 |
Sep. 30, 2016 |
Sep. 30, 2015 |
Sep. 30, 2016 |
Sep. 30, 2015 |
|
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items] | |||||
Total number of shares purchased (in shares) | 0.3 | 5.3 | 2.3 | 8.8 | 4.9 |
Average price paid per share (in dollars per share) | $ 0.00 | $ 99.01 | $ 98.05 | $ 102.01 | |
Total cash utilized | $ 26 | $ 1,097 | |||
Cash used to repurchase shares | 1,123 | $ 501 | |||
Stock Repurchases | |||||
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items] | |||||
Cash used to repurchase shares | 1,123 | ||||
Total SPGI Equity | |||||
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items] | |||||
Total cash utilized | $ 750 | $ 227 | $ 1,097 | $ 501 |