Catastrophes both natural and man-made have been hitting reinsurance companies, but the outlook is good. Shares of all the reinsurance companies were pummeled in October, with the combination of Hurricanes Ike and Gustav hitting underwriting profits while the capital markets carved a mark-to-market chunk out of investment portfolios. Things seemed to improve around Halloween and into November, as signs of “hardening” premium rates began to emerge. But shares have recently retested their lows as the dysfunctional capital markets – especially for mortgage- and asset-backed securities – overshadow improving fundamentals for the group. This has created opportunity for the intrepid value investor. Read more here.
November 28, 2008...7:08 am
Reinsurer Stocks: A Fear-Driven Market Creates Opportunity
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