Alpha-Centric ESG Research

Kyle Rudden

I am an ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) analyst with an alpha-centric approach to ESG research. After all, ESG investing is, first and foremost, investing. "Alpha-centric" does not mean apathetic, however. Quite the contrary. I believe global sustainability – i.e., environmental stewardship, social equality, and economic prosperity – is imperative, and private-sector capital is its cornerstone. Private-sector capital still has fiduciary responsibilities. Profitability is necessary for sustained impact. The Triple Bottom Line. People, Planet, AND Profit.

More importantly, you. I value your investment in Smartkarma research, and commit to Insights worthy of your time and money. That means giving ASEAN ESG the attention it deserves, and with Insights that are substantive and differentiated; the intersection of material and under-covered. You can expect investigative research into emergent ESG issues; data-driven analyses of deals (pre-IPO ESG research, ESG-focused M&A consequence analyses, etc.); and trading-oriented ideas like ESG short selling and playing ESG index constituency changes.

I bring both ESG expertise and traditional investing experience, as well as some rather unique perspectives on ESG (a lesson in governance from Enron, anyone?). I spent the last decade exclusively on ESG, researching links to equity returns, credit ratings, cost of capital, and yield spreads. I also contributed to ESG reporting standards (SASB and GRI), and the MBA curriculum (Impact Investing) at the Kellogg School of Management. Previously, I was an Institutional Investor and Wall Street Journal All-Star sell-side analyst at J.P. Morgan.

Please, feel free to contact me about anything.

MSCI ESG Indexes Gaining in Market Share Despite ESG's Recent "Bear Market"

<ul>
<li>Absolute value of index-linked assets is the ultimate measure of market share, but it misses an important aspect of the ESG-related indexing market – i.e., <em>relative</em> market share growth.</li>
<li>A category of ESG index providers that leads vis-à-vis relative growth is exchange-owned ESG index providers, a group which currently accounts for US$46.3 billion in indexed assets.</li>
<li>Asian exchange-owned ESG indexers are the clear leaders in that subcategory, with <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/singapore-exchange-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:1047:1" rel="noopener">Singapore Exchange (SGX SP)</a> and Korea Exchange leading that cohort with double-digit growth.</li>
</ul>


Absolute value of index-linked assets is the ultimate measure of market share, but it misses an important aspect of the ESG-related indexing market – i.e., relative market share growth.
A category of ESG index providers that leads vis-à-vis relative growth is exchange-owned ESG index providers, a group which currently accounts for US$46.3 billion in indexed assets.
Asian exchange-owned ESG indexers are the clear leaders in that subcategory, with Singapore Exchange (SGX SP) and Korea Exchange leading that cohort with double-digit growth.


Singapore Exchange, Korea Exchange Lead Exchange-Owned ESG Indexer Growth