Alpha-Centric ESG Research

Kyle Rudden

We see those big numbers in the press, almost daily it seems. About ESG assets under management (AUM) reaching US$40 trillion, expected to hit US$53 trillion by 2025. Or about quarterly ESG fund flows nearing US$100 billion, and the seismic shift in ESG AUM to passively-managed funds.Recent growth in SRI (sustainable and responsible investing) and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) assets and investment products would not be possible without the growing ecosystem of index providers, and the SRI/ESG indices and benchmarks that they create.The ongoing boom in SRI/ESG indexing, which shows no signs of slowing, creates new opportunies for investors – and I do not mean investing in indexed mutual funds or ETFs. Too obvious, and too retail. I am referring to emergent opportunities associated with SRI/ESG index arbitrage.Index rebalancing/reconstitution events often create windows of abnormal returns for constituents being re-weighted, added, or dropped. That much is obvious, and the effects of broad market index changes are well-known. For SRI/ESG indices, this is uncharted territory with huge potential.This Smartkarma Original looks at the evolving SRI/ESG indexing landscape, and more importantly the emergent investing (e.g., stocks of listed indexers) and trading (e.g., arbitraging index changes) strategies arising from this global boom in SRI/ESG indices... from an Original perspective.<h2>WHAT'S ORIGINAL?</h2>Typically, discussions about SRI/ESG indices focus on their performance and in the context of that age-old "ESG-Alpha" debate – i.e., whether incorporating ESG factors into the investment process is worth the effort. To be clear, that is an important debate to have (and win). However, this report takes a different angle on SRI/ESG indices by focusing on investing and trading and strategies that capitalise on the boom in SRI/ESG indices. Theory (and a little speculation) backed by analysis.

We see those big numbers in the press, almost daily it seems. About ESG assets under management (AUM) reaching US$40 trillion, expected to hit US$53 trillion by 2025. Or about quarterly ESG fund flows nearing US$100 billion, and the seismic shift in ESG AUM to passively-managed funds.Recent growth in SRI (sustainable and responsible investing) and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) assets and investment products would not be possible without the growing ecosystem of index providers, and the SRI/ESG indices and benchmarks that they create.The ongoing boom in SRI/ESG indexing, which shows no signs of slowing, creates new opportunies for investors – and I do not mean investing in indexed mutual funds or ETFs. Too obvious, and too retail. I am referring to emergent opportunities associated with SRI/ESG index arbitrage.Index rebalancing/reconstitution events often create windows of abnormal returns for constituents being re-weighted, added, or dropped. That much is obvious, and the effects of broad market index changes are well-known. For SRI/ESG indices, this is uncharted territory with huge potential.This Smartkarma Original looks at the evolving SRI/ESG indexing landscape, and more importantly the emergent investing (e.g., stocks of listed indexers) and trading (e.g., arbitraging index changes) strategies arising from this global boom in SRI/ESG indices... from an Original perspective.WHAT'S ORIGINAL?Typically, discussions about SRI/ESG indices focus on their performance and in the context of that age-old "ESG-Alpha" debate – i.e., whether incorporating ESG factors into the investment process is worth the effort. To be clear, that is an important debate to have (and win). However, this report takes a different angle on SRI/ESG indices by focusing on investing and trading and strategies that capitalise on the boom in SRI/ESG indices. Theory (and a little speculation) backed by analysis.

Sustainability and ESG Indices: A Booming Ecosystem and New Investing and Trading Opportunities

This Insight is a relatively brief, high-level overview of the sustainability framework ecosystem. It will be followed (soon) by deeper dives into individual frameworks, starting with the "Big Three."<ol>
<li>
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a framework for society-level sustainability</li>
<li>
Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), a company-level framework for a very broad audience</li>
<li>
Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), company-level but investor-focused</li>
</ol>These Insights aren't merely an academic exercise.They will have educational value vis-à-vis sustainable/ESG investing, but their primary purpose is as context for upcoming reports on integrating the SDGs into ESG investing strategies, such as:<ul>
<li>
ESG Alpha: Mapping country-level SDG data to securities since larger diversified portfolios are often impacted by SDG outcomes; SDGS serving as a barometer for macro risk and alpha.</li>
<li>
ESG Impact: Mapping security-level ESG performance (based on GRI and SASB standards) to the SDGs, guiding securities selection in a way that enhances a portfolio's societal impact.</li>
</ul>After explaining key concepts like global sustainability, sustainable development, and the Triple Bottom Line – all prerequisites to the framework stuff – the report roughly takes this outline:<ul>
<li>Overview of the sustainable investing spectrum and relative prioritsation of alpha and impact</li>
<li>Bird's-eye view of the overall sustainability/ESG ecosystem (framework, standards, and other)</li>
<li>Quick sight-seeing sojourn to look at the handful of listed companies dotting this landscape</li>
<li>Final destination, an overview of the "Big Three" and other major sustainability frameworks</li>
</ul>

This Insight is a relatively brief, high-level overview of the sustainability framework ecosystem. It will be followed (soon) by deeper dives into individual frameworks, starting with the "Big Three."

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a framework for society-level sustainability

Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), a company-level framework for a very broad audience

Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), company-level but investor-focused
These Insights aren't merely an academic exercise.They will have educational value vis-à-vis sustainable/ESG investing, but their primary purpose is as context for upcoming reports on integrating the SDGs into ESG investing strategies, such as:

ESG Alpha: Mapping country-level SDG data to securities since larger diversified portfolios are often impacted by SDG outcomes; SDGS serving as a barometer for macro risk and alpha.

ESG Impact: Mapping security-level ESG performance (based on GRI and SASB standards) to the SDGs, guiding securities selection in a way that enhances a portfolio's societal impact.
After explaining key concepts like global sustainability, sustainable development, and the Triple Bottom Line – all prerequisites to the framework stuff – the report roughly takes this outline:
Overview of the sustainable investing spectrum and relative prioritsation of alpha and impact
Bird's-eye view of the overall sustainability/ESG ecosystem (framework, standards, and other)
Quick sight-seeing sojourn to look at the handful of listed companies dotting this landscape
Final destination, an overview of the "Big Three" and other major sustainability frameworks


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Sustainability and ESG Indices: A Booming Ecosystem and New Investing and Trading Opportunities

Index rebalancing and reconstitution often creates a window of abnormal returns (and opportunity). For broad market indices, these effects are well...

Kyle Rudden

Sustainability/ESG Frameworks: Overview

This Insight is a relatively brief, high-level overview of the sustainability framework ecosystem. It will be followed (soon) by deeper dives into...

Kyle Rudden

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