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.

FAANG Splinters - Weak and Strong Pullback Targets

When to Sell NDX, the Last Bastion of Strength

TMT Corona Virus Selloff Opportunities: Amazon

COVID-19: Sectors and Stocks Through an ESG Lens – Internet Retail (Amazon)

Battle Lines Drawn As BABA Builds Out First/Last-Mile Capacity; But Who Will Fund 75+ Bn CNY CapEx?

One month ago, I published an Insight on <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/amazon-com-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:409:1" rel="noopener">Amazon.com (AMZN US)</a> discussing the company's ESG-related response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was bearish. Three weeks ago I published a second Amazon report, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/covid-19-and-esg-amazon-behaving-badly" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:38135" rel="noopener">COVID-19 and ESG: Amazon Behaving Badly</a>, which was decidedly more bearish. I didn't think things could get worse, but they did. Here is a brief update. Amazon Behaving Worse.Recent news falls into two categories, as usual: 1) employee health related to the coronavirus pandemic, and 2) various governance-related problems and lawsuits.Amazon's out-of-control coronavirus employee health crisis is getting worse, in terms of infections and backlash. Workers, still without protective gear, continue with their walkouts. Labor violations pile up across the U.S. Rather try to fix things, Amazon is trying to silence everyone.The bad headlines go beyond COVID-19. A new report accuses Amazon of facilitating the funding of white supremacist and other hate groups. It's passive (by allowing these groups to use Amazon platforms and services for profit), but it's about the worst kind of ESG headlines I can think of.

One month ago, I published an Insight on Amazon.com (AMZN US) discussing the company's ESG-related response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was bearish. Three weeks ago I published a second Amazon report, COVID-19 and ESG: Amazon Behaving Badly, which was decidedly more bearish. I didn't think things could get worse, but they did. Here is a brief update. Amazon Behaving Worse.Recent news falls into two categories, as usual: 1) employee health related to the coronavirus pandemic, and 2) various governance-related problems and lawsuits.Amazon's out-of-control coronavirus employee health crisis is getting worse, in terms of infections and backlash. Workers, still without protective gear, continue with their walkouts. Labor violations pile up across the U.S. Rather try to fix things, Amazon is trying to silence everyone.The bad headlines go beyond COVID-19. A new report accuses Amazon of facilitating the funding of white supremacist and other hate groups. It's passive (by allowing these groups to use Amazon platforms and services for profit), but it's about the worst kind of ESG headlines I can think of.

Amazon.com Inc

COVID-19 and ESG: Amazon Behaving Worse