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.

Bitcoin on Balance Sheets: Indirect Crypto Exposure Considerations for Crypto-Leery ESG Investors

Banks on the Bitcoin Bandwagon: Cashing in Through Crypto Custody Services

Microstrategy (MSTR US): "Crypto Through The Tulips"

This Insight is about a trainwreck, the head-on collision of two megatrends in investing: ESG, and cryptocurrencies. "Trainwreck," because the raging cryptocurrency/ESG debate has spiraled out of control and made absolute lunatics out of everyone, environmentalists and crypto-zealots alike.Cryptocurrency's environmental impact is not a recent epiphany. Back in 2009, Hal Finney (creator of Bitcoin's proof-of-work system, and even rumored to be the elusive Satoshi Nakamoto) tweeted, "Thinking about how to reduce CO2 emissions from widespread Bitcoin implementation."Prescient, but it didn't elicit a reaction because in 2009 few investors had even heard of Bitcoin and ESG. In 2021, however, Elon Musk's words are able to spark a firestorm because Bitcoin and ESG are now deeply ingrained in the collective investor psyche, and the zeitgeist.And Elon Musk's words sure did spark a firestorm.With this report, I hope to provide what is entirely absent in that firestorm – i.e., a comprehensive, rational, and balanced view of the multifaceted cryptocurrency/ESG relationships. Environmental, Social, and Governance. Including some issues that no one is talking about, but should be.

This Insight is about a trainwreck, the head-on collision of two megatrends in investing: ESG, and cryptocurrencies. "Trainwreck," because the raging cryptocurrency/ESG debate has spiraled out of control and made absolute lunatics out of everyone, environmentalists and crypto-zealots alike.Cryptocurrency's environmental impact is not a recent epiphany. Back in 2009, Hal Finney (creator of Bitcoin's proof-of-work system, and even rumored to be the elusive Satoshi Nakamoto) tweeted, "Thinking about how to reduce CO2 emissions from widespread Bitcoin implementation."Prescient, but it didn't elicit a reaction because in 2009 few investors had even heard of Bitcoin and ESG. In 2021, however, Elon Musk's words are able to spark a firestorm because Bitcoin and ESG are now deeply ingrained in the collective investor psyche, and the zeitgeist.And Elon Musk's words sure did spark a firestorm.With this report, I hope to provide what is entirely absent in that firestorm – i.e., a comprehensive, rational, and balanced view of the multifaceted cryptocurrency/ESG relationships. Environmental, Social, and Governance. Including some issues that no one is talking about, but should be.

ESG and Bitcoin: The Truth Lies Somewhere Between Benign and Boiling Off Oceans