Analysis

• A look back and forward

  27 December 2017

  The current year was relatively benign for the insurance investment industry. But 2018 holds new challenges. What risks and what opportunities should investors be looking at in the coming year? Sarfraz Thind reports

  

• The risks and rewards of leveraged finance: senior secured loans

  15 December 2017

  With European insurers showing increasing interest in allocating to senior secured loans – a more popular investment for US counterparts – David Turner explores how and why insurers either side of the Atlantic are approaching the asset class.

  

• The key to absolute return bond investing

  13 December 2017

  Schroders' global head of insurance asset management Paul Forshaw discusses the benefits of adding absolute return funds to the portfolio mix in an anticipation of a bear market

  

• Urban logistics: "the hottest game in town"

  07 December 2017

  The projected growth of e-commerce and urbanisation has seen real estate investors showing increasing interest in urban logistic centres. Paul Walsh explores the nascent asset class as an opportunity for insurers.

  

• The slippery skill of liquidity management

  01 December 2017

  Liquidity management is an ever-growing focus for insurers since the financial crisis. But how well do insurers understand it? Sarfraz Thind reports

  

• New options for the constrained investor

  24 November 2017

  AllianceBernstein's Stuart Davies explains how (re)insurers can access alternative return streams in a transparent and capital efficient way

  

• Timing and overcrowding: the challenges facing insurers in renewables

  22 November 2017

  Renewable energy is a popular asset class for insurers within the alternatives universe, and the trend is likely to continue based on the industry's growth forecasts. But challenges remain for insurers looking to grow exposure in unfamiliar territory. Asa Gibson reports

  

• UK's 'underwhelming' MA reform proposals turn thoughts to post-Brexit possibilities

  17 November 2017

  The lack of significant change in the UK's proposals to reform the Solvency II matching adjustment has led stakeholders to question the country's ability to act on industry feedback while under Eiopa's jurisdiction. Asa Gibson reports

  

• UK's interest rate rise: the reaction

  07 November 2017

  Last week's interest rate hike by the Bank of England was highly anticipated, but the Bank's longer-term strategy has come under scrutiny in light of Brexit and rising inflation. Practitioners share their take on what UK insurers can expect. Asa Gibson reports

  

• Eiopa's advice on standard formula change offers promise for insurers' investments

  01 November 2017

  The European authority published its recommendations to the European Commission on changing the standard formula, with positives to be found on the scope of look-through, regional government bonds and internal credit assessment.