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 Be a Win for ESG Investing and Sustainable Finance

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

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

Final U.S. Presidential Debate: Trump Needs an Epic Biden Blunder for This to Matter

Gravity Works As WeWork Doesn't; Now Plan B

Joe Biden winning the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election is looking more likely by the day, but "more" is the operative word, because as the saying goes, "it ain't over 'till it's over."But Biden is leading "bigly," to use a Trumpism. The kind of bigly that goes beyond polling error, a bigly bigger than anyone has seen since Lincoln, as Trump might say. Or something like that.As another saying goes, "the devil is in the details," and things could change… if a lot goes wrong for Biden, at the same time that a lot goes very right for Trump, and all within the next few days.Nothing is certain, but the writing is on the wall at this point – legibly enough, at least, to go into greater detail regarding what a Biden-Harris administration might mean for investing.This Insight analyses the state of the election, making the case that Trump is too far behind with too little time, but also considering a few "what-if" wildcards in critical swing states.It sets the stage for Insights into more specific implications, the first of which (imminent) is how a Biden win would advance ESG investing and sustainable finance, beyond obvious policy issues.

Joe Biden winning the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election is looking more likely by the day, but "more" is the operative word, because as the saying goes, "it ain't over 'till it's over."But Biden is leading "bigly," to use a Trumpism. The kind of bigly that goes beyond polling error, a bigly bigger than anyone has seen since Lincoln, as Trump might say. Or something like that.As another saying goes, "the devil is in the details," and things could change… if a lot goes wrong for Biden, at the same time that a lot goes very right for Trump, and all within the next few days.Nothing is certain, but the writing is on the wall at this point – legibly enough, at least, to go into greater detail regarding what a Biden-Harris administration might mean for investing.This Insight analyses the state of the election, making the case that Trump is too far behind with too little time, but also considering a few "what-if" wildcards in critical swing states.It sets the stage for Insights into more specific implications, the first of which (imminent) is how a Biden win would advance ESG investing and sustainable finance, beyond obvious policy issues.

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

Comcast Corp Class A

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