The U.S. property/casualty insurance segment’s net investment income hit a record $73.9 billion in 2023, bolstered by the higher interest rate environment, according to a new AM Best report. The Best’s Special Report, “U.S. P/C Insurers Achieve Record Investment Income …
One of the most lucrative, and contentious, trades of 2023 has emerged in an obscure corner of financial markets, minting overnight profits for the hedge fund crowd of as much as 35%. The play: Load up on 1980s-era bank bonds …
European insurers, whose profits are being eroded by Mario Draghi’s* quantitative easing program, face a stress test headache that risks requiring them to set aside more capital, further hurting their ability to make money. The timing of the regulator’s “stress …
The European Central Bank has turned government bonds into one of the riskiest asset classes, prompting Swiss Re AG to move more of its investments into corporate debt, according to the reinsurer’s chief investment officer. “If you’re looking for a …
PartnerRe exited junk bonds and shifted funds into property as the reinsurer reshaped a $16 billion investment portfolio after being acquired by John Elkann’s EXOR SpA. EXOR’s approach is to focus on holdings that “we know and understand very well,” …
Munich Re, the world’s second-biggest reinsurer, fell the most since August 2013 after saying first-quarter profit will be lower than it previously expected. Earnings for the quarter will also be lower than a year earlier after market turmoil caused the …
German reinsurer Munich Re is boosting its cash reserves in the face of the punishing negative interest rates from the European Central Bank, it said on Wednesday. The world’s largest reinsurer is far from alone in seeking alternative investment strategies …
European re/insurers are well positioned to withstand the current volatility in the stock markets, having made significant changes to their investment portfolios since the global financial crisis of 2008, as well as the subsequent European sovereign debt crisis in late …
The reinsurance market showed signs of decelerating rate declines in its most recent June/July 2015 renewals, indicating that pricing could be approaching a new equilibrium, says Fitch Ratings in a new global sector report. Reinsurance pricing has experienced downward pressures …
Vienna Insurance Group AG, eastern Europe’s biggest insurer, said profit in the second quarter declined 8.6 percent as low interest rates in the region pushed down returns on its investments. Net income in the three months to June dropped to …
