Reversal of fortune

Inverted swap spreads have defied earlier predictions that they were a short-term aberration to still be a feature 18 months after their first appearance. Is this set to continue and, if so, does it pose an opportunity for pension schemes and insurers? Laurie Carver reports

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The precipitous decline in long-term interest rates at the tail end of 2008 caused mayhem for pension schemes and insurers subject to market-consistent regulation of their liabilities. As they attempted to hedge their long-dated liabilities, it simply forced the discount rate lower, thereby increasing the size of their liabilities.

This “ALM death spiral”, as one Swedish insurance risk manager called it (see Life & Pension Risk, February 2009), received much attention but the importance of swap

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The future of life insurance

As the world constantly evolves and changes, so too does the life insurance industry, which is preparing for a multitude of challenges, particularly in three areas: interest rates, regulatory mandates and technology (software, underwriting tools and…

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