Research & Reports

Activity along the variable annuity product pipeline has been steady of late, and we think this is a sign that insurers have some optimism for the coming months. We continue to see new and upgraded...

This spreadsheet updates our coverage of variable insurance volatility-managed portfolios for the second quarter of 2021. By our count, as of June 30 we counted 200 such portfolios in operation, containing over $288 billion in...

We saw a number of interesting variable fund registrations last month – including a new series of defined outcome portfolios – along with a healthy amount of changes made to insurers’ investment platforms. We’ll discuss...

In June we were surprised to see a bumper crop of variable fund registrations, nearly all of them defined outcome portfolios, which have protective features found on registered index-linked annuities (RILAs). This yet more evidence...

This spreadsheet commences our coverage of variable insurance volatility-managed portfolios for 2021. By our count, at the end of the fourth quarter there were 203 such portfolios in operation, containing over $284 billion in assets…

This report contains our regular coverage of noteworthy variable insurance fund filings from the prior month, a period where we saw an uptick in new registrations, which, not surprisingly, were of in-favor fund categories and...

Variable insurance fund filing activity last month was moderate, in our view, but typical of the time of year, because new funds tend to be registered by February at the latest, in order to be...

This spreadsheet concludes our coverage of variable insurance volatility-managed portfolios for 2020. By our count, at the end of the fourth quarter there were 203 such portfolios in operation, containing nearly $281 billion in assets…

Variable fund filing activity usually picks up in February, as new offerings are registered so that they can launch in time for the May prospectus season. This year we did see a few new arrivals,...