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: During March 2020, COVID-19 concerns escalated in the U.S. and lockdown measures were announced. Market returns in March 2020 were quite extreme and choppy, alternating between days of huge gains and losses. As investors prepare for the future, it is important to understand whether these volatility surges and sharp movements are understood and captured by commonly used models. In this article, we will explore equity market performance in 2020 using the S&P 500 Total Return Index (SP500TR) and the relevant equity modeling implications

Description: The goal of this paper is to examine similarities between value investing and enterprise risk management (ERM) methods.

Description: Investment opportunities are driven by events in the economy and how participants in the financial markets react to those events. This keynote address will highlight current economic themes and their impact on investment opportunities.

Description: From the April 1982 Society of Actuaries meeting in Houston. Discussion of how the insurance industries in several countries have dealt with high levels of inflation with respect to the development and marketing of insurance products. Also discussed: I. the overall business and economic environment 2. the taxation structure of insurance companies 3. the availability of suitable investments 4. the insurance regulatory climate and 5. the structure of worldwide capital markets Possible applications to U.S. insurance in the 1980's were explored.

Description: This session from the 1984 SOA New York City Meeting discusses the investment implications of an aging population including the affect on the national savings rate, economic growth, the dependence on social security and opportunities for the insurance industry. From Record of the Society of Actuaries Vol. 10, No. 3

Description: This article discusses how FHLB advances, i.e. low cost loans, can supply valuable risk management benefits. By carefully structuring an advance to mature coincident with the anticipated premium inflows generated by insurance products, a company can largely eliminate future net cash flows and consequently the need to invest them in uncertain capital markets.

Description: Gold has been one of the worst performing investment assets of the last two decades due to the steady to low inflation. In the future, if the US economic environment takes a turn for the worst or inflation reemerges, gold will once again be a high performing investment.

Description: The Long and Short (Runs) of Investing in Equities by Peter Yoo from Risks and Rewards Newsletter, March 1999, Issue No. 32.

Description: Most investors give convertible securities less prominence than stocks and bonds in their investment portfolios. The attention span given to learning the intricacies and finer points of this hybrid security is quite narrow. In fact, most of us may not even know that a “golden age” existed or whether it has peaked. It’s far beyond our immediate concerns.