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.

U.S. Elections: A Biden Win Would Mean a New U.S. Treasury Secretary (Elizabeth Warren Might Be It)

U.S. Elections: A Biden Win Would Include Reversing Trump's Anti-ESG Handiwork

Global/Asia Sector Rotation in the Midst of a Regime Change in the U.S. Presidency

U.S. Elections and ESG: Impacts on People, Planet… and Profit

U.S. Elections: A Biden Win Is Looking More Likely

Gravity Works As WeWork Doesn't; Now Plan B

In <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/u-s-elections-a-biden-win-is-looking-more-likely" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:44504" rel="noopener">U.S. Elections: A Biden Win Is Looking More Likely</a>, I make the argument that a Biden win looks likely enough to justify thinking about investing-related implications in greater detail. This Insight considers how a Biden presidency might advance ESG investing and sustainable finance.Regardless of who wins the election, ESG's momentum – interest, products, assets – will continue. Sustainable/ESG investing thrived over the last four years despite Trump's infamously "anti-ESG" policies and regulations, especially regarding the environment, and that won't change.Nonetheless, a Biden win would be a resounding positive for ESG. Not just obvious policy-related implications for certain kinds of "green" investments, but for ESG investing itself – things like pro-ESG legislation, ending the Department of Labor's "war on ESG," and a new mindset at the SEC.

In U.S. Elections: A Biden Win Is Looking More Likely, I make the argument that a Biden win looks likely enough to justify thinking about investing-related implications in greater detail. This Insight considers how a Biden presidency might advance ESG investing and sustainable finance.Regardless of who wins the election, ESG's momentum – interest, products, assets – will continue. Sustainable/ESG investing thrived over the last four years despite Trump's infamously "anti-ESG" policies and regulations, especially regarding the environment, and that won't change.Nonetheless, a Biden win would be a resounding positive for ESG. Not just obvious policy-related implications for certain kinds of "green" investments, but for ESG investing itself – things like pro-ESG legislation, ending the Department of Labor's "war on ESG," and a new mindset at the SEC.

U.S. Elections: A Biden Win Would Be a Win for ESG Investing and Sustainable Finance

Tesla

U.S. Elections: A Biden Win Would Be a Win for ESG Investing and Sustainable Finance