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)

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First things first, Biden still has an election to win and although that still seems to be his destiny (see <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> ), Trump is by no means out of the race.If Biden wins, the real work starts including his transition and building his administration through various appointments such as those described in <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/u-s-elections-a-biden-win-would-mean-a-new-u-s-treasury-secretary-elizabeth-warren-might-be-it" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:44761" rel="noopener">U.S. Elections: A Biden Win Would Mean a New U.S. Treasury Secretary (Elizabeth Warren Might Be It)</a>.After key appointments and implementing a coronavirus response and related economic relief and stimulus, Biden would likely start fixing some of what Trump broke. That means reversing Trump's reversals of Obama-era environmental policy, and other Trump's doings (some would say damage).Herein, I briefly discuss three of the more important – and most likely to be addressed early in the Biden presidency – that pertain to directly to sustainable/ESG investing. They are:<ol>
<li>Rejoining the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and repairing relationships related to it</li>
<li>Undoing the "anti-ESG" investing rule (just passed on 30 October) affecting pension funds</li>
<li>Replacing the SEC Chairman (his term expires in 2021) with a Democrat supportive of ESG</li>
</ol>

First things first, Biden still has an election to win and although that still seems to be his destiny (see U.S. Elections: A Biden Win Is Looking More Likely ), Trump is by no means out of the race.If Biden wins, the real work starts including his transition and building his administration through various appointments such as those described in U.S. Elections: A Biden Win Would Mean a New U.S. Treasury Secretary (Elizabeth Warren Might Be It).After key appointments and implementing a coronavirus response and related economic relief and stimulus, Biden would likely start fixing some of what Trump broke. That means reversing Trump's reversals of Obama-era environmental policy, and other Trump's doings (some would say damage).Herein, I briefly discuss three of the more important – and most likely to be addressed early in the Biden presidency – that pertain to directly to sustainable/ESG investing. They are:
Rejoining the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and repairing relationships related to it
Undoing the "anti-ESG" investing rule (just passed on 30 October) affecting pension funds
Replacing the SEC Chairman (his term expires in 2021) with a Democrat supportive of ESG


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

JPMorgan Chase & Co

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