Best of Artemis, week ending 13th October 2013

Here are the top ten articles as viewed by our readers week ending 13th October 2013. As always, you can read every market news story and article here on the Artemis news blog, subscribe to our weekly email newsletter updates and for your convenience here are the ten most popular news articles from the last seven days on Artemis.

Top ten most viewed articles on Artemis.bm, week ending 13th October 2013:

1. Catastrophe bond market hits $19 billion outstanding for first time
   For the first time in its approximately sixteen and three-quarter year existence, the catastrophe bond market has hit a new record for the amount of risk capital outstanding, with the market having reached over $19 billion in size for the first time.
2. New & alternative capital to pressure commercial insurance rates in 2014: Willis
   Commercial insurance buyers will face improved market conditions, with rates set to improve in many lines, thanks to the increased availability of insurance and reinsurance capital from alternative sources, broker facilities and new markets such as China, according to broker Willis.
3. Alternative capital is efficient capital: Frank Majors, Nephila Capital
   The preferred terminology used at ILS investment manager Nephila Capital to describe the third-party capital that has entered the reinsurance market, as institutional investors appreciation for catastrophe risk as an asset class has grown, is not ‘alternative capital’, rather it is ‘efficient capital’.
4. Decline in ILS and cat bond rates accelerated in Q3: Lane Financial
   The speed of decline in insurance-linked security and catastrophe bond rates accelerated during the third quarter of 2013, according to the latest market report from ILS consultancy Lane Financial LLC. ILS rates, as measure by Lane Financial, dropped approximately 16% during Q3 2013.
5. 2013 cat bond & catastrophe reinsurance investment returns on track
   The outstanding catastrophe bond market returned over 1.5% in September, following on from an even healthier 1.7% return in August, demonstrating that despite declines in pricing, catastrophe bond returns remain a very attractive proposition for institutional investors.
6. D.E. Shaw shutters most investment funds, but not reinsurance
   According to a report in the Financial Times, one of the world’s largest hedge funds D.E. Shaw which also operates D.E. Shaw Re a Bermuda based reinsurer, is shuttering its flagship funds to new capital as it seeks to safeguard returns for existing investors.
7. Montpelier to launch Blue Capital Reinsurance, listed collateralized reinsurer
   Bermuda based reinsurer Montpelier Re looks set to launch a new collateralized reinsurance operation, according to documents filed with the SEC today. The reinsurer is launching Blue Capital Global Reinsurance Holdings, a collateralized reinsurer, listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
8. Schroders launches Core Insurance Linked Securities fund
   Asset management group Schroders has announced the launch of its first insurance-linked securities (ILS) fund this morning. The Core Insurance Linked Securities fund has a mandate allowing it to invest in catastrophe bonds and other insurance-linked securities (ILS) instruments.
9. Swiss Re completes dual solvency/catastrophe trigger contingent deal
   Reinsurance firm Swiss Re has successfully completed its novel dual-trigger contingent capital security transaction, having sold CHF175m Swiss francs of notes linked to either the occurrence of a major decline in its solvency level or a major natural catastrophe loss.
10. First tranche of Salam III Sukuk life insurance-linked securitization issued
    The first tranche of the novel Salam III Limited securitization of in-force life insurance policies has now been issued. The unique deal, transacted as an Islamic bond, or Sukuk, is the first time we know of an insurance-linked securitization (ILS) of takaful (Sharia’a-compliant) insurance policies taking place.

This is by no means every article published on Artemis during the last week, just the most popular among our readers. To ensure you always stay up to date with Artemis subscribe to our weekly email newsletter update.

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