- Should We Be Worried About Inflation?
Reconsidering its sources, consequences and appropriate policy remedies
Several very good primers were recently written on how to think about inflation in the coming months. But as the reaction to monthly price inflation numbers that ever tick above a 2% annualized rate continues to be disproportionately angst-ridden, another one may be useful.
read more - Inflation Impact On Sovereigns Depends On Real Interest Rates
How will inflation affect debt/GDP ratios?
Inflation trends and associated risks around interest rates and exchange rates may have direct sovereign credit implications, says Fitch Ratings.
read more - Individual Annuity Providers Still Challenged By Low Interest Rates
Limiting the levers insurers can pull without worsening their company risk profiles
Limiting the levers insurers can pull without worsening their company risk profiles Report on the outlook for the U.S. individual annuity industry provided by AM Best. OLDWICK, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Despite COVID-19’s operational and sales impacts on the U.S. individual annuity industry, the bigger issue for writers remains the low interest rate environment, according to a new…
read more - Share of Wallet & Household “Reach” Grows At Leading Financial Firms; Key Trust Metric Declines
COVID-19 customer outreach yields higher intent to recommend
Leading financial services firms increased reach[1] into U.S. households and grew share of wallet, reversing a 2019 dip. This growth occurred even as trust and other key success metrics dropped at the national level, driven by steep declines among the most affluent customers, in a new research report by Hearts & Wallets.
read more - Business Executives’ Optimism About U.S. Economy Hits Three-Year High
Economic optimism up 47% from last quarter
Business executives are predicting the economy will roar back in the coming year, with revenue and profit growth expectations not seen since 2018, according to the second-quarter AICPA Economic Outlook Survey.
read more - Reimagining Work In The New Digital-First Workplace
Companies work to win the war for talent in the post-pandemic world
The Future Forum, a consortium launched by Slack Technologies, Inc., to help companies reimagine work in the new digital-first workplace, is releasing a new global study that unpacks how 15 months of pandemic work has shifted employee expectations.
read more - Insurance Executives Believe Companies’ Digital Transformation Efforts Will Continue As Pandemic Fades
Almost overnight, an industry based on face-to-face interactions and relationships had to shift to a virtual environment
New research by LIMRA and McKinsey & Co. finds 8 in 10 insurance executives believe their companies’ efforts to adopt digital solutions accelerated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most (9 in 10) agree that consumer expectations will demand these efforts continue post-pandemic.
read more - Hedge Funds Remain An Option For Some Insurers
Attractive for risk diversification and low correlation to other asset classes
In 2020, the life/annuity and property/casualty insurance segments increased their exposures to hedge funds, leading to an overall 6% increase in insurance industry investments, according to the latest AM Best report.
read more - Global Stocks At A Crossroads
Midyear market review: What’s ahead for equities?
Global stocks sit at a crossroad heading into the second half of the year. This is because equity prices have moved higher through most of the first half as a result of several key factors.
read more - Advisors, Firms Break Through The Noise To Respond To Clients
Optimizing content to capture ’shifting client needs’
COVID-19 abruptly and forcefully shifted the social selling landscape. Digital marketers, compliance teams, advisors, and agents quickly pivoted from tried-and-true approaches to test new strategies for the new normal—whether it was an expanded online presence through individual websites, or targeted campaigns based on audience segments.
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