CLOs: A Distinct Income Opportunity in Today's Environment
08/30/2019
Fixed-income investors concerned that interest rates will rise might want to consider collateralized loan obligation (CLO) securities. CLOs feature floating interest rates, which may help hedge against rising market interest rates.
Insurance M&A in the First Half of 2019: Taking a Breather
08/22/2019
The pace of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the insurance industry slowed during the first half of 2019 compared to the same period in 2018. However, we expect more deals as the year progresses. Conning’s Jerry Theodorou offers insights on trends in M&A activity across insurance sectors through the first half of 2019.
Pension Funded Status Tracker July 2019
08/20/2019
During the month of July 2019, the average corporate defined benefit pension plan’s funded status remained flat at 90%. The asset portfolio marginally increased in value and liabilities also increased in value as a result of spreads tightening.
Esoteric ABS: A Clear Opportunity for Uncertain Times
08/13/2019
The asset-backed securities (ABS) subset known as “esoteric ABS” may sound complex but it is often backed by collateral that is easy to understand, such as commercial aircraft, railcars and shipping containers. Learning more about esoteric ABS may be rewarding: a number of esoteric ABS are currently offering yields at a premium to traditional ABS and other assets of similar quality and duration.
Pension Funded Status Tracker June 2019
07/16/2019
During the month of June 2019, the average corporate defined benefit pension plan’s funded status improved by 2% to 90%. The asset portfolio increased in value as both the hedging and growth portfolios delivered positive returns and liabilities also increased in value, albeit less than the asset portfolio.
The Art and Science of Modeling Economies: A New Approach to Target Setting
07/02/2019
The setting of calibration targets is one of the most important components of the application of an economic scenario generator (ESG) to risk management. In Conning’s latest white paper, authors Matthew Lightwood, a director of Risk Solutions, and Hal Pedersen, managing director of Risk Solutions, discuss a new approach that combines an understanding of central bank monetary policy, historical analysis, and expert judgment to establish credible calibration targets for an ESG.
Asset TV: Conning's Annual Corporate Pension Report
06/27/2019
In a recent interview with Asset TV, Scott Hawkins, a Director of Insurance Research, and Sean Kurian, Head of Institutional Solutions, discuss the financial health of the U.S. corporate defined benefit (DB) industry through the analysis of the U.S. DB pension plans of the 3,000 largest U.S corporations.
Pension Funded Status Tracker - May 2019
06/26/2019
The funded status of the average U.S. corporate defined benefit pension plan fell by 4% to 88% funded during the month of May 2019.
Annual Corporate Pension Review - 2018
06/24/2019
U.S. corporate pension plans in 2018 once again improved their funded levels, reaching 86.9% compared to 2017’s 85.4%. But while 2017 performance was due to significant gains in plan assets, 2018’s results were due to plan liabilities decreasing more than assets did.