News
COVID-19 Impact on Frontier Market Sovereign Debt
04/15/2020
Although Global Evolution’s Frontier Market (FM) sovereign debt portfolio enjoyed some isolation relative to other pure hard currency indices, the financial market risk contagion still aggressively bled into its universe.
While P&C Distribution M&A Flew High in 2019, Insurer Acquisitions Slowed
04/14/2020
In 2019, M&A activity involving acquisitions of property and casualty insurers slowed considerably from 2018, down approximately 6% compared to the prior year. That’s in stark contrast to the distribution acquisition market that sustained strong interest from consolidators as well as private equity investors throughout 2019.
COVID-19 Provides Insurers an Opportunity to Demonstrate Value, But Political and Regulatory Risks Loom Large
04/13/2020
Conning’s comprehensive examination of the pandemic’s impact, “COVID-19 effect on the insurance industry,” is a report packaged in four separate chapters: an industry overview, along with individual reports on the property and casualty, life/annuity, and health industries.
Clear Path Analysis Pension Plan De-Risking Q&A
04/08/2020
The COVID-19 pandemic is a reminder to DB pension plan sponsors of the potential value of a disciplined de-risking strategy. Conning’s Sean Kurian discusses sponsor concerns in this Q&A.
Insurers May be Able to Enhance Income Without Committing Additional Cash or Adding Significant Risk
03/31/2020
A Conning Strategic Alert describes how market dislocations have helped drive up yields for structured securities while the decline in U.S. Treasury yields has led to falling rates within FHLB lending programs. Insurers who are FHLB members may be able to use loan proceeds to invest in structured securities.
COVID-19 Update: Contagion and Containment
03/12/2020
The COVID-19 virus that started as a China-only issue with ramifications to supply chains has now gone global with adverse implications to consumer behaviour, capital investment and growth. In Europe, government containment initiatives have in some cases been draconian but time will tell if they stop the virus from spreading. Meanwhile, oil and base metals face downward pressure and the narrative of an emerging-market-led global upswing in 2020 seems a distant memory.
Regulatory & Accounting Updates Affect Life/Annuity, Health Insurers
03/11/2020
A new year often means new regulatory and accounting changes for insurers, and 2020 is no exception. Conning has analyzed the four major updates, which will most likely affect life/annuity and health companies, and shares our insights.
Conning Launches Capability to View Combined Risk in Insurers’ General Account and DB Pension
03/03/2020
A potential blind spot for insurers in assessing the full investment risk of their general account and defined benefit pension plan assets could lead to missed opportunities to improve net income, pension plan funding and their bottom line. Conning’s solution can help provide a comprehensive view.
Conning Industry Outlook Helps Ready Insurers for 2020 Business, Investment Challenges
02/20/2020
Conning has produced an industry outlook webinar analyzing challenges that U.S. insurers face in 2020, both in their business and in managing their investment portfolios. The outlook highlights that, while the environment for property-casualty insurers is relatively more favorable than the one for life-annuity companies, both face many challenges as competition remains intense.
The Conning Focus Series
02/06/2020
Conning is pleased to introduce its inaugural Focus Series, a new digital product designed to get to the core of an issue or trend quickly. The Focus Series delivers valuable content into clear digestible insights and streamlined supporting details. Conning will issue several Focus Series throughout the year, including multiple volumes within the same sector.