The Art and Science of Modeling Economies: A New Approach to Target Setting
07/02/2019
The setting of calibration targets is one of the most important components of the application of an economic scenario generator (ESG) to risk management. In Conning’s latest white paper, authors Matthew Lightwood, a director of Risk Solutions, and Hal Pedersen, managing director of Risk Solutions, discuss a new approach that combines an understanding of central bank monetary policy, historical analysis, and expert judgment to establish credible calibration targets for an ESG.
Asset TV: Conning's Annual Corporate Pension Report
06/27/2019
In a recent interview with Asset TV, Scott Hawkins, a Director of Insurance Research, and Sean Kurian, Head of Institutional Solutions, discuss the financial health of the U.S. corporate defined benefit (DB) industry through the analysis of the U.S. DB pension plans of the 3,000 largest U.S corporations.
Pension Funded Status Tracker - May 2019
06/26/2019
The funded status of the average U.S. corporate defined benefit pension plan fell by 4% to 88% funded during the month of May 2019.
Annual Corporate Pension Review - 2018
06/24/2019
U.S. corporate pension plans in 2018 once again improved their funded levels, reaching 86.9% compared to 2017’s 85.4%. But while 2017 performance was due to significant gains in plan assets, 2018’s results were due to plan liabilities decreasing more than assets did.
Pension Funded Status Tracker - April 2019
05/15/2019
The funded status of the average U.S. corporate defined benefit pension plan improved by 2% to 87% funded during the month of April 2019.
Pension Funded Status Tracker - March 2019
04/11/2019
The funded status of the average U.S. corporate defined benefit pension plan fell 1% to 85% during the month of March. Learn more about the trends and drivers in our March Pension Funded Status Tracker.
Webinar: Portfolio Management Strategies in a Period of Higher Volatility
04/09/2019
Volatility returned to markets with a vengeance during the past 12 months, and the start of 2019 offers more questions than answers about what is coming next.
Viewpoint - Convertibles: A Flexible Asset for Insurance Portfolios
04/02/2019
Rising market interest rates have piqued curiosity in convertible securities, but many insurers do not fully understand how convertibles work or what they can add to a portfolio. The fact that they can be converted into the issuer’s equity speaks to their value proposition: possible equity upside with a bond’s downside protection.
Viewpoint - Proposed New MBS Security Set for Mid-2019 Rollout, but Questions Remain
03/29/2019
The agency mortgage-backed securities (MBS) market is preparing to introduce a new security, known as the Uniform MBS (UMBS), in June 2019. The security will be the first offered in an effort to unite issuance from the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae or Fannie) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. (Freddie Mac or Freddie).
Pension Funded Status Tracker - February 2019
03/14/2019
The funded level for the average U.S. corporate pension plan rose to 86% in February, up 1% for the month and 3% for the year. Strong U.S. equity performance led the growth in the asset portfolio, while liabilities slipped as the effective discount rate rose 5 basis points. Learn more about the trends and drivers in our February Pension Funded Status Tracker.