Best of Artemis, week ending 26th November 2017

Here are the ten most popular news articles, week ending 26th November 2017, covering catastrophe bonds, ILS, reinsurance capital and related risk transfer topics. To ensure you never miss a thing subscribe to the weekly Artemis email newsletter updates.

Ten most viewed articles on Artemis.bm, week ending 26th November 2017:

1. ILW pricing up as much as 30% in wake of hurricanes
   Rates-on-line for industry loss warranties (ILW’s) have increased by as much as 30% following the third-quarter catastrophe losses suffered by the industry, perhaps giving a glimpse of where retrocessional reinsurance could move at the forthcoming January renewals.

2. Swiss Re hopes for some “substantial” price rises in 2018
   Reinsurance giant Swiss Re is hoping for “substantial” price increases in reinsurance, with the firm’s Chief Economist calling for a “general turn” in reinsurance market pricing, as rates had slipped below technical levels for the last few years.

3. ILS NYC 2018: New speakers from Lloyd’s, AmWINS, Swiss Re
   We’re delighted to announce three more stellar speakers from industry-leading firms Lloyd’s, AmWINS and Swiss Re to the roster for our second conference in New York, Artemis ILS NYC 2018 which is being held in central Manhattan on the 2nd February.

4. Pricing cycle could rise for two years: Hiscox senior management
   The CEO and CFO of specialist insurance and reinsurance group Hiscox believe that post-loss price rises could last for two years, following the recent major catastrophes, and have told their underwriters to be prepared to shrink the top-line if they cannot get the price increases they seek.

5. Massachusetts pension approves $250m Aeolus & CATCo investments
   The Massachusetts Pension Reserves Investment Management (MassPRIM) Board has approved $250 million of investments in two reinsurance and ILS investment managers, as the $68 billion state pension asset manager looks for diversifying asset classes with low correlation to its wider portfolio.

6. Unusual levels of cat bond trading recorded on TRACE
   An interesting burst of catastrophe bond trading has been recorded on the U.S. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA) Trace Reporting and Compliance Engine (TRACE) this week, with a high volume of trades and a high number of cat bond names changing hands across just two days.

7. Schroder Life ILS strategy launches with $750m of capital
   Asset manager Schroders has launched the Schroder Life ILS strategy today, a specialist $750 million fund that will be invested in life insurance and reinsurance linked securities (ILS), aiming to provide its investors with an attractive return from a diversifying asset class.

8. World Bank to emulate pandemic facility for famine & other crises
   The World Bank actively working to emulate its successful establishment of the Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility (PEF) for other humanitarian crises, such as famine, including the use of financial market risk transfer instruments, such as the pandemic catastrophe bonds and swaps.

9. Parametric Pacific catastrophe facility upsizes at reinsurance renewal
   The World Bank supported Pacific Catastrophe Risk Insurance Company (PCRIC), a parametric disaster and catastrophe insurance captive insurer for the Pacific Island Countries (PIC’s), has renewed its reinsurance protection, growing the risk pool by 18% to $45 million, with the backing of four major reinsurers.

10. California wildfires hit Blue Capital listed ILS fund in October
    The stock exchange listed Blue Capital Alternative Income Fund (formerly known as the Blue Capital Global Reinsurance Fund) has reported a negative return for October 2017, as the recent California wildfires added to losses for the year, although at a much smaller level than the recent hurricanes.

This is by no means every article published on Artemis during the last week, just the most popular, some of which were published over a week ago. There were 26 new articles published in the last week. To ensure you always stay up to date with Artemis and never miss a story subscribe to our weekly email newsletter which is delivered every Wednesday.

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