Articles by Laurie Carver
Inverted swap spreads change insurer’s and pension fund’s hedging approach
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?…
The sum of its parts?
The latest Basel committee proposals to force insurance subsidiaries’ equity to be financed with the parent’s Tier I capital poses a threat to the bancassurance business model, already wounded from high-profile failures. The increased cost of capital…
QIS 5 - Making political capital
With the fifth quantitative impact study looming, Ceiops has released its final advice for Solvency II’s level two implementation measures to howls of indignation from the industry. The SCR standard formula’s calibration risks driving a wedge between…
UPDATE: Ceiops task force OKs liquidity premium
An industry task force appointed by the Committee of European Insurers and Occupational Pensions Supervisors (Ceiops) has recommended to the European Commission that an extra liquidity premium be included in the discount rate of liabilities used in the…
Defining dependence - the changing face of asset class correlation
Diversification let the industry down in the last two years, as alternative asset classes moved in tandem with equity and fixed income. With its estimation so volatile, and its theoretical validity tarnished, correlation’s role in risk management is…
