Description: Reviews book entitled An Introduction to Risk and Return from Common Stocks by Richard Brealey. The book provides a description of the stock market, as seen through the eyes of the statistician.

Description: In this article the author concludes that “terrorism may foster a sense of conservatism that we may now need in the marketplace. Now that policy may have to be changed. In the process, risk will become better understood, common sense can replace, to some extent, the irrational behavior or excessive risk taking of the past and we will all appreciate our financial situation much more, and won’t expose ourselves to unrealistic expectations as much Hopefully the actuarial profession can respond to the challenge, since we are the best qualified to quantify such risks in the marketplace.”

Description: This article highlights the Annual Meeting Session 39 on the Equity Risk Premium (ERP), mentions related sources. Further, it asks whether in the future we will no longer regard the ERP as a single monolithic entity but as a mosaic of premia, and also whether individual investors presently are too optimistic.

Description: Summarizes the state of US government balance sheet and defends the view that inflation will not rise sharply in the next few years.

Description: This article briefly summarizes the history of the Passive Foreign Investment Company (PFIC) tax regime. Then it provides a detailed description of the PFIC proposed regulations issued in July of 2019.

Description: New Zealand is about to launch its first variable annuity with guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefits. The product design is mindful of the lessons from the financial crisis in the United States, Europe and Japan.

Description: Frist Quarter 2022 updates on tax issues involving: IRS publication of 7702 60-month avg. applicable federal interest rates, OECD Global Minimum Tax, final Foreign Tax Credit regulations issued by Treasury and IRS, Final Regulations on Tax Issues Associated with LIBOR Transition issued by Treasury and IRS, and the Multistate Tax Commission Partnership Project focusing on insurer investment partnerships.

Description: U.S. bond markets have undergone dramatic changes due to the 2008 Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and the COVID-19 pandemic. In taking a retrospective view, we can see that bond markets, viewed through the lens of major bond indices, have been evolving for quite some time. Within this paper, TD Asset Management Inc. (TDAM) will explore underlying changes that have occurred within the U.S. Corporate Bond Index, a sub-component of the larger U.S. investment grade bond market, over the past decade. We will highlight key structural changes that have occurred within bond markets and why they are noteworthy

Description: The article discusses C1 risks in five areas: 1 the economics of risk, 2 portfolio optimization, 3 policy, 4 risk interaction and 5 institutional aspects of C1 risk.

Description: Read the February 2017 issue of Risks and Rewards published by the Investment Section.