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. ESG Legislation (H.R.1187) Unlikely to Survive the Republican Senate But There Is More to Come

I recently published <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/u-s-esg-legislation-h-r-1187-unlikely-to-survive-the-republican-senate-but-there-is-more-to-come" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:55304" rel="noopener">U.S. ESG Legislation (H.R.1187) Unlikely to Survive the Republican Senate But There Is More to Come</a>, a brief update on ESG legislative activity in the U.S. Congress, specifically House bill (<a href="https://www.congress.gov/117/bills/hr1187/BILLS-117hr1187rfs.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">H.R.1187</a>), commonly known by its short title, the "ESG Disclosure Simplification Act."That Insight told a bitter-sweet tale. On one hand, H.R.1187 is the first substantive ESG legislation in U.S. history and its passage by the House to the Senate represents a watershed moment for U.S. ESG policy. On the other hand, the bill is likely already dead on arrival in the Republican Senate.A key point made in that Insight is that whilst H.R.1187 seems destined to die on the Senate floor, it would not be in vain. H.R.1187 and its precursors set the wheels of U.S. ESG policy in motion to such a degree that Congressional legislation is merely one locus of current ESG policy activity.Aside from ESG legislation in Congress, ESG regulation at the Securities and Exchange Commission is a second epicentre of U.S. ESG policy – and in many respects, the SEC is the more promising of the two. In the first Insight, I promised a summary of the SEC's ESG-related activity.So here we are; a quick catch-up on recentg SEC activity, an overview of its ESG agenda, and a few thoughts on where things are headed vis-à-vis climate and ESG disclosure regulations.

I recently published U.S. ESG Legislation (H.R.1187) Unlikely to Survive the Republican Senate But There Is More to Come, a brief update on ESG legislative activity in the U.S. Congress, specifically House bill (H.R.1187), commonly known by its short title, the "ESG Disclosure Simplification Act."That Insight told a bitter-sweet tale. On one hand, H.R.1187 is the first substantive ESG legislation in U.S. history and its passage by the House to the Senate represents a watershed moment for U.S. ESG policy. On the other hand, the bill is likely already dead on arrival in the Republican Senate.A key point made in that Insight is that whilst H.R.1187 seems destined to die on the Senate floor, it would not be in vain. H.R.1187 and its precursors set the wheels of U.S. ESG policy in motion to such a degree that Congressional legislation is merely one locus of current ESG policy activity.Aside from ESG legislation in Congress, ESG regulation at the Securities and Exchange Commission is a second epicentre of U.S. ESG policy – and in many respects, the SEC is the more promising of the two. In the first Insight, I promised a summary of the SEC's ESG-related activity.So here we are; a quick catch-up on recentg SEC activity, an overview of its ESG agenda, and a few thoughts on where things are headed vis-à-vis climate and ESG disclosure regulations.

U.S. ESG Regulation Expected By Year-End; SEC to Mandate Climate/ESG Disclosure By Listed Companies

MSCI Inc

U.S. ESG Regulation Expected By Year-End; SEC to Mandate Climate/ESG Disclosure By Listed Companies