Analysis

  • Absolute return: a silver bullet for the investment strategy?

    11 September 2015

    Absolute return strategies seem an ideal response to low interest rates, volatile markets and Solvency II, but what are the associated challenges facing investors? Experts discuss in part one of this InsuranceERM/Insurance Asset Risk and Standard Life Investments roundtable

  • In the world of LEIs, quantity leads quality

    08 September 2015

    Legal entity identifiers are meant to help ease regulatory compliance and risk management but the challenges of take-up, availability and accuracy mean progress on LEIs has been slow, as Brian Clarke describes

  • Insurers tweak fixed-income approaches to be ready for rate rises

    20 August 2015

    There are still many ways to make money in fixed-income amid the uncertainty over when rates will start to tick up. Insurers are adopting varied approaches as they also get ready for the new constraints Solvency II will introduce in just over four months. David Turner reports

  • Pimco advances on the European front

    12 August 2015

    Despite its well-documented problems during the past year or so, Pimco remains one of the biggest managers of insurance assets in the world. And Matthieu Louanges, head of the European financial institutions group (FIG), believes that insurance is the most promising sector for future growth. Sarfraz Thind reports

  • Excess liquidity creates opportunities for insurers

    05 August 2015

    Low interest rates have put pressure on the investment portfolios of insurance companies, but exploiting liquidity to invest in alternative assets may help ease this strain, argues George Caffrey.

  • Aviva Investors: flexibility and a broad perspective needed in fixed-income investment

    23 July 2015

    Quantitative easing in Europe, renewed risk from Greece and China and a predicted rate rise in the US are all giving fixed-income investors headaches. Spare a thought, then, for Aviva Investors' Colin Purdie, with £96bn of IG credit to oversee. Sarfraz Thind reports on his strategy

  • German insurers are big winners from infra charges cut

    14 July 2015

    German firms are likely to benefit most from Eiopa's tentative proposals to reduce the Solvency II capital charges on infrastructure investment, which fell short of the hopes of the industry overall. The changes in the standard formula calibrations may also have implications for users of internal models, as Hugo Coelho reports

  • Insurers juggle different approaches to combat low returns

    09 July 2015

    Patpatia's detailed survey of insurer asset management tracks the variety of approaches being used to combat the low-rate environment. Insurers are outsourcing more and expecting a wider range of services from third-party asset managers. Sarfraz Thind sifts through the data

  • Investing £25bn in infrastructure not so easy for UK insurers

    29 June 2015

    Increased competition, compressed spreads on debt, construction risk and regulatory charges are just some of the factors that have helped to crimp progress on an ambitious programme of infrastructure investment that six UK insurers committed to in 2013. Mark Nicholls explains

  • The bond market isn't a one-way bet

    24 June 2015

    Prepare for a very bumpy ride in the markets over the next few weeks, Kerry Craig advises