Incisive Views from Professionals
By Simon Kerr, Publisher of Hedge Fund Insight Argo Group International Holdings, Ltd. (NYSE: ARGO), the Bermuda domiciled property/casualty insurer, produced results last week, giving an opportunity for observers to look at its’ hedge fund holdings. Argo Group has invested in hedge funds for more than seven years within an allocation to “Alternatives”. The […] Read more »
By Jason Hopper, Associate Director – Industry Research and Analytics at A.M. Best The U.S. insurance industry continued to reduce its risk appetite for hedge fund investments, as holdings declined year over year by 8.5% to $16.4 billion from $17.9 billion in 2016, according to a new A.M. Best report based on year-end 2017 data from the National Association of […] Read more »
From Jason Hopper and Dan Heitlinger of A.M.Best Our November 2016 report, “Hedge Fund Performance Has Insurers Reducing Exposure,” noted rising investor concerns surrounding the performance of hedge funds and the insurance industry’s exposure to this asset class from 2013-2015. Based on 2016 data from year-end NAIC statutory financial statements, the insurance industry has continued pulling back its investment […] Read more »
By Jason Hopper and Ken Johnson of A.M. Best With interest rates remaining persistently low, NAIC Schedule BA assets, which include alternative investment securities, have generally provided insurers with the potential for higher risk-adjusted returns to help mitigate the decline in higher portfolio book yields. Without a meaningful increase in interest rates, insurers have limited choices for investing new dollars from […] Read more »
By Gary Shub and Team at The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) The quest to diversify assets as insurers hunt for higher returns in a low-interest-rate environment suggests that there might be a significant opportunity for asset managers—both independent and insurance owned—to curate and offer alternative investment products for small insurance companies in the […] Read more »