Time of life

Longevity risk

Life is fast becoming the must-have commodity for a growing number of investors. Life expectancy has been increasing at a continuous rate over the past 50 years, and, seen as any other commodity, the life span 'bull run' certainly looks impressive. Now, hedge funds and other institutional investors believe they have spotted a way of investing in life as an asset class - and making a profit to boot.

At the heart of this burgeoning market lies longevity risk - in layman's terms, the risks posed