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.

Affirm Holdings - Addictive BNPL Could Backfire in 2022

SPACTalk: 2022 High Conviction Pair Trade Idea-Why Moneylion Is A Better Choice Than Affirm Holdings

On 23 July, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/profiles/jason-yap-cfa" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="accounts:24996" rel="noopener">Jason Yap</a> publised an excellent Insight titled <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/bnpl-industry-through-an-esg-lens" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:54887" rel="noopener">BNPL Industry Through an ESG Lens</a>. His knowledge of the "Buy Now, Pay Later" (BNPL) industry per se is well beyond mine, so I defer to his report for fundamentals on the industry and its companies.I do, however, have a few thoughts to add regarding ESG. Whilst Jason is spot-on for ESG issues he covered, I want to: 1) point out a potential ESG positive related to inclusive finance and sustainable development, and 2) expand on a major ESG negative associated with advertising and marketing.This is a deep dive into a few specific ESG issues, and hopefully complementary to Jason's work.

On 23 July, Jason Yap publised an excellent Insight titled BNPL Industry Through an ESG Lens. His knowledge of the "Buy Now, Pay Later" (BNPL) industry per se is well beyond mine, so I defer to his report for fundamentals on the industry and its companies.I do, however, have a few thoughts to add regarding ESG. Whilst Jason is spot-on for ESG issues he covered, I want to: 1) point out a potential ESG positive related to inclusive finance and sustainable development, and 2) expand on a major ESG negative associated with advertising and marketing.This is a deep dive into a few specific ESG issues, and hopefully complementary to Jason's work.

ESG and BNPL: Whether It's "Buy Now, Pay Later" Or "Buy, Not Pay Later" Makes All the Difference