Catastrophe bond triggers through the ages

The latest Swiss Re sigma study, which I posted about yesterday, contains some great graphics which demonstrate how the market has evolved over time. Imagery makes it really easy to visualise the changes the market has undergone. One particular graphic that I like shows the different types of triggers utilised in transactions over the years. It clearly shows how certain triggers go out of favour and then sometimes return to favour, such as the indemnity trigger which was the trigger of choice over ten years ago, then swiftly lost favour only to return last year to be part of almost 50% of catastrophe bond deals. I think 2009 would make an interesting addition to this graph but we’ll have to wait till next year to see that.