Research & Reports
Initial Coverage: Variable ESG Portfolios
This spreadsheet contains data on variable Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) portfolios; at the end of 2021 we counted 18 portfolios in operation, which held $6.6 billion in assets…
Shining a Spotlight – on The Growth of ESG Portfolios in the Market
Anyone who follows the financial markets knows that Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investing is one of the hottest topics out there; our objective in this report is to show how this theme has steadily...
Growth in Q1 Sales of Indexed Annuities Sustained the Industry
In this commentary we’ll share our thoughts on first quarter annuity business results of publicly traded insurers we track regularly. In our view most of these companies reflected the experience of the industry as a...
Reviewing Variable Insurance Fund Filings from April, 2022
In April we saw just a few new variable portfolio registrations and a rather mild degree of filings overall. Most filings in the month were related to changes to investment platforms…
Initial Coverage: Summaries of New Registered Index-Linked Annuities (RILAs) filed in 2022
This table contains summaries of new registered index-linked annuities (RILAs) filed with the SEC in 2022. This table covers three contracts, not including instances where a product was refiled…
Regarding Competition in the Registered Index-Linked Annuity Space
This year we expect registered index-linked annuities (RILAs) to continue to grow their market share, however they will encounter stiffer competition from other product types thanks to rising interest rates; moreover, things are getting tight...
Initial Coverage: Variable Defined-Outcome Portfolios
This spreadsheet contains data on the first variable defined-outcome portfolios; at the end of 2021 we counted 13 portfolios in operation, which held $37 million in assets…
Reviewing Variable Insurance Fund Filings from March, 2022
In this report we’ll cover notable fund filings from last month – as we usually do – and provide notes on variable defined outcome portfolios, as the first one commenced operations last year…
An Update on Variable Managed-Volatility Portfolios Through 4Q21
This spreadsheet concludes our coverage of variable insurance volatility-managed portfolios for 2021. By our count, as of December 31 there were 197 such portfolios in operation; assets grew slightly from the prior quarter to nearly...