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 Include Reversing Trump's Anti-ESG Handiwork

Janet Yellen As U.S. Treasury Secretary Is Good Economic Recovery and Wall Street

U.S. Elections: A Biden Win Would Be a Win for ESG Investing and Sustainable Finance

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

Gravity Works As WeWork Doesn't; Now Plan B

Only Donald Trump can run the United States alone. Other presidents require the support of many departments, agencies, and advisors. When a new president is elected, there is a formal transition process, a central component of which is appointing people to those critical positions.Should Biden win the election, his administration will ultimately appoint more than 4,000 people. We will never hear about the vast majority of them. However, some appointments are anticipated and debated (in the U.S. and globally) because they are so utterly consequential.Appointments vary in relevance to each of the Triple Bottom Line pillars – Environmental, Social (including Governance), Economic. For some appointed positions, the relevance to investing is far removed. A few, however, have major and immediate capital markets implications.This Insight does three things:<ol>
<li>Introduces the transition and appointment process including critical appointments and roles</li>
<li>Discusses the "transition politics" that will drive Biden's appointment strategy and decisions</li>
<li>Analyses the candidates and their likelihoods for the Secretary of the Treasury appointment</li>
</ol>For more on the election, the likelihood of a Biden win, and ESG investing implications of a Biden win 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> as well as <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/u-s-elections-a-biden-win-would-be-a-win-for-esg-investing-and-sustainable-finance" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:44503" rel="noopener">U.S. Elections: A Biden Win Would Be a Win for ESG Investing and Sustainable Finance</a>.

Only Donald Trump can run the United States alone. Other presidents require the support of many departments, agencies, and advisors. When a new president is elected, there is a formal transition process, a central component of which is appointing people to those critical positions.Should Biden win the election, his administration will ultimately appoint more than 4,000 people. We will never hear about the vast majority of them. However, some appointments are anticipated and debated (in the U.S. and globally) because they are so utterly consequential.Appointments vary in relevance to each of the Triple Bottom Line pillars – Environmental, Social (including Governance), Economic. For some appointed positions, the relevance to investing is far removed. A few, however, have major and immediate capital markets implications.This Insight does three things:
Introduces the transition and appointment process including critical appointments and roles
Discusses the "transition politics" that will drive Biden's appointment strategy and decisions
Analyses the candidates and their likelihoods for the Secretary of the Treasury appointment
For more on the election, the likelihood of a Biden win, and ESG investing implications of a Biden win see U.S. Elections: A Biden Win Is Looking More Likely as well as 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)

JPMorgan Chase & Co

U.S. Elections: A Biden Win Would Mean a New U.S. Treasury Secretary (Elizabeth Warren Might Be It)