Description: Abstract: A model for analyzing the probability and severity of default of sovereign entities and banks. The methodology analyzes the risks inherent in the investment of debt of sovereign governments and large financial institutions side-by-side, taking into consideration macroeconomic interactions among the sovereign fiscal and monetary authorities, the financial institutions, and the real economy. The signature aspect of the methodology is that it adapts a Merton-style default model to use explicit measures of sovereign assets and asset volatility.

Description: Presented at June 1985 Spring Meeting. This session features a discussion by a panel of economists covering likely economic scenarios in the short- and long-term from an international point of view. It will include a provocative look at the possibilities for U.S. economic development in the 1990s and the consequent effects on international conditions.

Description: This is a discussion of indexed coverages for individual contracts. It covers such topics as the history of indexed coverage in the U.S. and Canada and other countries and the possibilities for the ideal fully-indexed permanent life insurance and disability income plans.

Description: A look at recent inflation, its impact on society, how it differs from other instances of inflation throughout history, and the effectiveness of various measures to curb inflation. From Record of Society of Actuaries, Vol. 1, No. 2.