Analysis

• DGFs aim at equity-like returns while reducing downside

  24 June 2014

  Diversified growth funds could be attractive to protect against an equity market correction

• UK insurers' Q1 net investment rises

  23 June 2014

  ONS data shows greater allocation to short-term assets

• Specialist investment services in demand from insurers

  12 June 2014

  Russell Büsst, Conning's CIO Europe, discusses US muni bonds and trade finance

• Insurance asset managers grapple with Solvency II challenges

  10 June 2014

  Solvency II will impact how insurers manage their assets, but the effects will depend on their size and the business mix. Christopher Cundy and Hardeep Dhillon report from InsuranceERM's Insurance Asset Risk conference

• Coping with the inflation conundrum

  10 June 2014

  The development of inflation or disinflation in different markets is a critical driver of corporate performance, rather than simply a tactical investment issue, as the case of P&C insurers shows. Etienne Comon explains

• With changing market dynamics, insurers can profit in fixed income

  07 May 2014

  They buy in bulk, their size gives them clout with large fixed-income asset managers and their buy-and-hold outlook insulates them from market swings, as Douglas Niemann explains

• China opens up opportunities for insurance asset management

  30 April 2014

  China Life's outsourcing of a $3.2bn investment mandate and a loosening of strict regulations has kickstarted interest in managing China's insurance assets. Hardeep Dhillon reports

• Annuity changes put corporate bonds under pressure

  23 April 2014

  Revisions to the UK's legislation around annuities is causing insurers to rethink investment strategies. Hardeep Dhillon examines the impact on sterling capital markets and demand for assets

• Diversification and caution characterise insurers' 2014 asset strategies

  05 March 2014

  Another year of weak yields from bonds is prompting some insurers to continue diversifying their investment portfolios. But with predictions of weaker equity markets and continuing low interest rates, others are battening down the hatches. Jamie Bullen and Christopher Cundy report

• ERM basics: Proxy techniques enable risk-based decision making

  08 January 2014

  Proxy techniques, such as least squares Monte Carlo, allow faster analysis of risks and for many insurers they have become essential tools for aiding decision making, as Brian Robinson explains