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Majeure'15	
  Capital	
  Markets	
  and	
  International	
  Banking	
  
Master	
  thesis	
  –	
  Neoma	
  BS	
  Rouen	
  
	
  
	
  
Clément	
  Kubiak	
  
Clement.kubiak.11@neoma-­‐bs.com	
  
	
  
Supervisor:	
  Sami	
  Attaoui	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
ARE	
  CATASTROPHE	
  BONDS	
  EFFICIENT	
  DIVERSIFICATION	
  SECURITIES?	
  
	
  
An	
  empirical	
  study	
  of	
  a	
  portfolio	
  diversified	
  with	
  catastrophe	
  bonds	
  from	
  2002	
  
to	
  2015	
  and	
  of	
  its	
  correlation	
  with	
  traditional	
  financial	
  markets	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
Key	
  words:	
  reinsurance,	
  insurance-­‐linked	
  securities,	
  catastrophe	
  bonds,	
  diversification	
  
  2	
  
Abstract	
  
	
  
The	
   insurance-­‐linked	
   securities	
   market	
   has	
   known	
   a	
   strong	
   development	
   for	
   the	
   past	
  
decades.	
  2014	
  has	
  been	
  a	
  record	
  year	
  for	
  the	
  issuance	
  of	
  ILS	
  and	
  a	
  particular	
  type	
  of	
  this	
  
securities,	
   the	
   catastrophe	
   bonds	
   have	
   started	
   to	
   attract	
   a	
   larger	
   range	
   of	
   institutional	
  
investors,	
  and	
  some	
  asset	
  management	
  companies,	
  such	
  as	
  Schroder	
  with	
  its	
  GAIA	
  Cat	
  Bond,	
  
are	
  now	
  efficiently	
  integrating	
  catastrophe	
  bonds	
  to	
  their	
  investment	
  strategy.	
  Furthermore,	
  
the	
  previous	
  financial	
  and	
  banking	
  crisis	
  have	
  shown	
  the	
  strong	
  impact	
  of	
  systematic	
  risk	
  on	
  
portfolios	
  and	
  investors	
  are	
  now	
  seeking	
  investments	
  offering	
  them	
  a	
  resilient	
  behaviour	
  in	
  
crisis	
  context.	
  This	
  thesis	
  aims	
  to	
  highlight	
  the	
  possible	
  positive	
  impact	
  on	
  the	
  risk-­‐return	
  
profile	
  of	
  a	
  portfolio	
  through	
  the	
  diversification	
  in	
  catastrophe	
  bonds.	
  Our	
  results	
  based	
  on	
  
the	
   volatility,	
   returns,	
   Sharpe	
   ratio	
   and	
   Value	
   at	
   Risk	
   of	
   a	
   portfolio	
   diversified	
   with	
  
catastrophe	
   bonds	
   against	
   a	
   reference	
   portfolio	
   highlight	
   a	
   positive	
   impact	
   of	
   the	
  
catastrophe	
  bonds	
  on	
  the	
  Sharpe	
  ratio	
  and	
  the	
  return	
  over	
  the	
  studied	
  period,	
  however	
  the	
  
volatility	
  and	
  the	
  Value	
  at	
  Risk	
  remains	
  at	
  similar	
  levels	
  for	
  both	
  portfolios.	
  
	
  
  3	
  
Summary	
  
	
  
Introduction	
   4	
  
Market	
  Evolution	
  
	
   Risk	
  management:	
  diversification	
   5	
  
	
   Emergence	
  of	
  alternative	
  risk	
  transfer	
   6	
  
Catastrophe	
  bonds	
  
	
   Basic	
  of	
  catastrophe	
  bonds	
   7	
  
	
   Markets	
   10	
  
Financial	
  mechanisms	
  
	
   Loss	
  mechanisms	
   13	
  
	
   Pricing	
   14	
  
	
   Correlation	
  and	
  sensitivity	
  to	
  traditional	
  markets	
   16	
  
Empirical	
  study	
  
	
   Definition	
  of	
  the	
  studied	
  portfolios	
   18	
  
	
   Analysis	
  and	
  risk-­‐return	
  measurements	
   20	
  
Conclusion	
   21	
  
Appendixes	
   23	
  
Bibliography	
   27	
  
  4	
  
I. Introduction	
  
	
  
In	
  the	
  early	
  1990s,	
  severe	
  major	
  natural	
  catastrophes	
  such	
  as	
  the	
  Hurricane	
  Andrew	
  
and	
  the	
  Northridge	
  Earthquake	
  created	
  a	
  lack	
  of	
  capacity	
  in	
  the	
  reinsurance	
  market,	
  since	
  
then,	
   heavy	
   losses	
   have	
   become	
   a	
   source	
   of	
   concern	
   for	
   the	
   insurance	
   and	
   reinsurance	
  
industries	
   because	
   the	
   potential	
   losses	
   from	
   natural	
   perils	
   seemed	
   to	
   outpace	
   the	
  
(re)insurers'	
  capacity.	
  While	
  historically	
  the	
  government	
  was	
  providing	
  a	
  back	
  up	
  capacity	
  to	
  
the	
   industry	
   in	
   case	
   of	
   difficulties	
   in	
   the	
   market	
   with	
   for	
   example	
   the	
   National	
   Flood	
  
Insurance	
  Program	
  in	
  the	
  USA,	
  (re)insurers	
  started	
  to	
  develop	
  new	
  innovative	
  ways	
  to	
  hedge	
  
their	
  excess	
  risk	
  and	
  to	
  finance	
  this	
  lack	
  of	
  capacity.	
  Geographic	
  diversification	
  was	
  not	
  an	
  
efficient	
  enough,	
  not	
  all	
  the	
  regions	
  are	
  indeed	
  in	
  need	
  of	
  an	
  insurance	
  coverage	
  and	
  then	
  
reinsurers	
   and	
   insurers	
   cannot	
   disseminate	
   their	
   risk	
   in	
   less	
   risky	
   regions	
   to	
   compensate.	
  
Furthermore,	
   in	
   a	
   free-­‐market	
   it	
   is	
   not	
   possible	
   for	
   a	
   (re)insurance	
   company	
   to	
   cross-­‐
subsidize	
   its	
   business	
   lines.	
   To	
   face	
   this	
   issue,	
   insurer	
   and	
   reinsurers	
   innovated	
   in	
   risk	
  
securitization	
  and	
  developed	
  alternative	
  methods	
  to	
  transfer	
  the	
  risk	
  emerging	
  from	
  natural	
  
perils	
  to	
  a	
  third	
  party,	
  it	
  was	
  the	
  first	
  issuance	
  of	
  ILS,	
  the	
  insurance-­‐linked	
  securities.	
  
Since	
  1996,	
  the	
  ILS	
  market	
  has	
  showed	
  a	
  resilient	
  development	
  worldwide.	
  While	
  the	
  market	
  
was	
   initially	
   the	
   preserve	
   territory	
   of	
   insurance	
   and	
   reinsurance	
   companies,	
   the	
  
development	
  of	
  ILS	
  allowed	
  governments	
  and	
  corporations	
  to	
  access	
  this	
  capital	
  market	
  tool	
  
to	
   support	
   their	
   growth,	
   manage	
   their	
   capital	
   and	
   transfer	
   their	
   risk.	
   2014	
   saw	
   the	
   ILS	
  
market	
   toped	
   new	
   records	
   with	
   a	
   total	
   of	
   $8.29bn	
   securities	
   newly	
   issued.	
   After	
   having	
  
suffered	
  from	
  the	
  2008	
  crisis	
  with	
  four	
  years	
  of	
  contraction,	
  the	
  market	
  has	
  known	
  a	
  strong	
  
growth	
  for	
  the	
  past	
  three	
  years	
  with	
  a	
  yearly	
  rate	
  of	
  growth	
  of	
  20%	
  to	
  a	
  record	
  of	
  $25bn	
  
outstanding	
  securities	
  in	
  2015.	
  The	
  market's	
  demand	
  for	
  more	
  sophisticated	
  and	
  diversified	
  
securities	
   has	
   supported	
   the	
   emergence	
   of	
   new	
   sponsors	
   and	
   new	
   coverage	
   in	
   the	
   ILS	
  
market,	
  completing	
  the	
  market.	
  
Meanwhile	
  on	
  the	
  traditional	
  markets,	
  the	
  dot-­‐com	
  bubble,	
  the	
  sub-­‐prime	
  crisis	
  followed	
  by	
  
the	
  financial	
  crisis	
  and	
  the	
  euro	
  crisis	
  have	
  impacted	
  the	
  profits	
  of	
  investors	
  for	
  the	
  past	
  
decades.	
  Investors	
  are	
  now	
  looking	
  for	
  new	
  ways	
  of	
  hedging	
  their	
  portfolios	
  from	
  the	
  market	
  
shocks	
  and	
  for	
  resilient	
  assets	
  to	
  the	
  crisis.	
  
Only	
   few	
   studies	
   have	
   been	
   made	
   on	
   the	
   use	
   of	
   ILS,	
   particularly	
   catastrophe	
   bonds,	
   to	
  
diversify	
  a	
  portfolio.	
  Carayannopoulos	
  and	
  Perez	
  (2013)	
  focused	
  on	
  the	
  subprime	
  financial	
  
crisis	
  to	
  prove	
  that	
  despite	
  the	
  peril	
  risk	
  exposure	
  of	
  catastrophe	
  bond	
  (while	
  a	
  corporate	
  
  5	
  
bond	
  is	
  exposed	
  to	
  the	
  credit	
  risk),	
  in	
  time	
  of	
  crisis	
  they	
  were	
  not	
  zero	
  beta	
  investments	
  and	
  
not	
   immune	
   to	
   the	
   effect	
   of	
   the	
   recent	
   financial	
   crisis	
   but	
   represent	
   an	
   efficient	
  
diversification	
  tool	
  for	
  investors	
  in	
  quiet	
  market	
  using	
  a	
  multivariable	
  GARCH	
  model	
  on	
  the	
  
return	
  of	
  different	
  asset	
  classes.	
  However,	
  their	
  results	
  were	
  purely	
  quantitative	
  and	
  only	
  
based	
   on	
   the	
   returns,	
   in	
   addition,	
   a	
   single	
   index	
   based	
   on	
   US	
   securities	
   was	
   used	
   to	
  
represent	
  an	
  asset	
  class.	
  This	
  thesis	
  aims	
  to	
  study	
  the	
  behaviour	
  of	
  cat-­‐bonds	
  against	
  other	
  
assets	
  by	
  comparing	
  the	
  return,	
  volatility,	
  value	
  at	
  risk	
  and	
  the	
  Sharpe	
  ratio	
  of	
  2	
  portfolios,	
  
one	
   including	
   cat-­‐bonds	
   and	
   the	
   other	
   without	
   exposure	
   to	
   cat-­‐bonds.	
   The	
   time	
   period	
  
studied	
  is	
  13	
  years,	
  from	
  January	
  2002	
  to	
  January	
  2015.	
  
	
  
II. Market	
  evolution	
  
	
  
a. Risk	
  management:	
  diversification	
  
For	
  an	
  investor,	
  there	
  are	
  two	
  techniques	
  to	
  manage	
  its	
  risk:	
  hedging	
  its	
  positions	
  
and/or	
   diversifying	
   its	
   portfolio	
   through	
   a	
   strategic	
   and	
   dynamic	
   capital	
   allocation.	
  
Diversification	
  is	
  based	
  on	
  the	
  lack	
  of	
  a	
  tight	
  positive	
  relationship	
  among	
  the	
  assets'	
  return	
  
and	
   on	
   the	
   theory	
   that	
   the	
   risk	
   of	
   an	
   asset	
   can	
   be	
   decomposed	
   in	
   two	
   parts,	
   each	
  
representing	
  a	
  type	
  of	
  risk:	
  the	
  systematic	
  risk	
  and	
  the	
  specific	
  risk.	
  The	
  specific	
  risk	
  is	
  the	
  
risk	
  specific	
  to	
  the	
  asset,	
  for	
  instance	
  for	
  a	
  bond	
  it	
  is	
  the	
  announcement	
  of	
  capital	
  loss	
  or	
  a	
  
profit	
  warning	
  for	
  a	
  stock.	
  This	
  kind	
  of	
  risk	
  is	
  only	
  related	
  to	
  the	
  asset	
  itself	
  and	
  then	
  to	
  the	
  
risk	
  only	
  supported	
  by	
  the	
  issuer.	
  Meanwhile,	
  the	
  systematic	
  risk	
  is	
  related	
  to	
  the	
  movement	
  
of	
   the	
   market	
   as	
   a	
   whole,	
   it	
   is	
   then	
   the	
   impact	
   of	
   an	
   event	
   affecting	
   all	
   the	
   asset	
   class	
  
because	
  of	
  for	
  example	
  a	
  revision	
  of	
  the	
  economic	
  forecasts	
  or	
  because	
  of	
  a	
  global	
  financial	
  
crisis	
  as	
  seen	
  with	
  the	
  sub-­‐primes	
  in	
  2008	
  or	
  with	
  the	
  debt	
  crisis	
  in	
  Europe.	
  
	
  
The	
  specific	
  risk	
  is	
  also	
  called	
  the	
  "diversifiable"	
  risk	
  since	
  it	
  is	
  possible	
  to	
  extremely	
  
reduce	
  it	
  by	
  diversifying	
  its	
  portfolio	
  by	
  investing	
  in	
  different	
  securities	
  of	
  the	
  asset	
  class	
  or	
  
by	
  varying	
  the	
  geographic	
  coverage	
  of	
  the	
  portfolio,	
  for	
  example	
  an	
  equity	
  portfolio	
  invested	
  
in	
  more	
  than	
  30	
  different	
  stocks	
  has	
  a	
  specific	
  risk	
  considered	
  as	
  almost	
  zero;	
  whereas	
  the	
  
systematic	
  risk	
  cannot	
  be	
  reduced	
  as	
  easily.	
  
	
  
  6	
  
Then,	
   a	
   question	
   remains	
   on	
   the	
   reduction	
   of	
   the	
   systematic	
   risk.	
   It	
   is	
   fair,	
   in	
   the	
  
investor	
  point	
  of	
  view,	
  to	
  assume	
  that	
  investing	
  in	
  financials	
  products	
  reproducing	
  indexes	
  is	
  
a	
  way	
  of	
  eliminating	
  the	
  specific	
  risk	
  since	
  indexes,	
  by	
  their	
  nature,	
  are	
  computed	
  in	
  a	
  way	
  of	
  
reproducing	
   the	
   market	
   performance	
   of	
   a	
   given	
   industry	
   or	
   country	
   asset	
   class	
   while	
  
moderating	
  the	
  impact	
  of	
  specific	
  risk.	
  Most	
  equity	
  indexes	
  are	
  for	
  instance	
  using	
  a	
  formula	
  
to	
  moderate	
  the	
  impact	
  of	
  larger	
  capitalizations	
  on	
  the	
  index,	
  then	
  an	
  index	
  of	
  any	
  asset	
  
class	
  can	
  be	
  considered	
  as	
  "specific	
  risk	
  free"	
  as	
  long	
  as	
  it	
  takes	
  in	
  consideration	
  more	
  than	
  
20	
   or	
   30	
   securities.	
   Investors	
   should	
   then	
   find	
   a	
   way	
   of	
   decreasing	
   the	
   exposure	
   of	
   their	
  
portfolios	
  to	
  the	
  systematic	
  risk.	
  
	
  
b. Emergence	
  of	
  alternative	
  risk	
  transfer	
  
During	
  the	
  1990s,	
  insurers	
  and	
  reinsurers	
  faced	
  capacity	
  issues	
  driving	
  them	
  to	
  look	
  
for	
   new	
   way	
   to	
   transfer	
   the	
   risk	
   linked	
   to	
   their	
   business	
   to	
   a	
   third	
   party.	
   These	
   issues	
  
supported	
  the	
  development	
  of	
  Alternative	
  Risk	
  Transfer,	
  known	
  as	
  ART.	
  ART	
  consists	
  in	
  using	
  
alternative	
   ways	
   to	
   achieve	
   the	
   same	
   hedging	
   and	
   transfer	
   of	
   risk	
   from	
   a	
   (re)insurance	
  
company	
  to	
  a	
  third	
  party,	
  this	
  enables	
  (re)insurers	
  to	
  receive	
  protection	
  against	
  some	
  risks	
  
linked	
   to	
   their	
   (re)insurance	
   activities	
   by	
   transferring	
   it	
   to	
   the	
   capital	
   markets.	
   The	
   most	
  
common	
  area	
  of	
  ART	
  includes	
  risk	
  securitization,	
  derivative	
  contracts	
  (weather	
  derivatives)	
  
and	
  the	
  transformation	
  of	
  capital	
  market	
  risks	
  into	
  reinsurance	
  using	
  transformer	
  vehicle1
;	
  
some	
  other	
  methods	
  are	
  captive	
  insurance	
  companies	
  and	
  life	
  insurance	
  securitization.	
  This	
  
strong	
   growth	
   of	
   ART	
   is	
   leading	
   in	
   the	
   short-­‐term	
   to	
   the	
   convergence	
   of	
   insurance	
   and	
  
financial	
  markets,	
  thus	
  creating	
  a	
  new	
  risk	
  market.	
  
	
  
The	
  emergence	
  of	
  alternative	
  risk	
  transfer	
  solutions	
  has	
  supported	
  the	
  growth	
  of	
  a	
  
new	
  alternative	
  asset	
  class	
  within	
  the	
  insurance	
  market:	
  the	
  Insurance	
  Linked	
  Securities.	
  ILS	
  
provide	
  to	
  (re)insurers	
  an	
  innovative	
  way	
  of	
  financing	
  their	
  capital	
  by	
  selling	
  their	
  capital	
  risk	
  
as	
  any	
  other	
  assets	
  in	
  order	
  to	
  funds	
  claims	
  payments	
  arising	
  from	
  mega-­‐catastrophes	
  and	
  
other	
   extreme	
   loss	
   events.	
   ILS	
   products	
   are	
   typically	
   sponsored	
   by	
   insurers	
   or	
   reinsurers,	
  
governments	
  and	
  companies	
  who	
  see	
  in	
  ILS	
  a	
  way	
  to	
  transfer	
  their	
  insurance	
  risk	
  (its	
  capital	
  
for	
   a	
   (re)insurance	
   company)	
   to	
   the	
   capital	
   markets	
   where	
   a	
   wide	
   range	
   of	
   institutional	
  
investors	
  such	
  as	
  pension	
  funds,	
  hedge	
  funds	
  and	
  banks	
  are	
  now	
  including	
  this	
  products	
  in	
  
	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  
1
	
  Artemis.bm	
  –	
  What	
  is	
  Alternative	
  Risk	
  Transfer	
  ?	
  
  7	
  
their	
  portfolios.	
  Most	
  known	
  ILS	
  products	
  are	
  catastrophe	
  bonds,	
  industry	
  loss	
  warranties	
  
and	
   sidecars	
   and	
   usually	
   cover	
   natural	
   catastrophes	
   (windstorm,	
   typhoon,	
   earthquake),	
  
man-­‐made	
  events	
  (aviation,	
  marine)	
  and	
  life	
  (re)insurance	
  (mortality,	
  life	
  insurance	
  policy	
  
pools).	
  	
  
	
  
A	
   sidecar	
   in	
   the	
   reinsurance	
   industry	
   is	
   a	
   financial	
   technique	
   allowing	
   investors	
   to	
  
benefit	
   from	
   the	
   return	
   of	
   a	
   defined	
   insurance	
   or	
   reinsurance	
   business	
   book	
   while	
  
supporting	
  an	
  equivalent	
  or	
  proportional	
  part	
  of	
  the	
  risk.	
  Sidecars	
  have	
  been	
  mostly	
  joint-­‐
ventures	
   between	
   two	
   or	
   more	
   (re)insurers	
   but	
   they	
   are	
   now	
   becoming	
   an	
   simple	
   and	
  
efficient	
  way	
  of	
  using	
  third	
  party	
  capital	
  in	
  the	
  underwriting	
  activities.	
  For	
  instance,	
  capital	
  
provided	
  by	
  investors	
  will	
  be	
  used	
  to	
  pay	
  the	
  claims	
  on	
  the	
  books	
  and	
  they	
  receive	
  a	
  part	
  of	
  
the	
  (re)insurance	
  premiums	
  to	
  take	
  this	
  risk.	
  Sidecars	
  are	
  fully-­‐collateralized	
  securities	
  and	
  
the	
  collateral	
  is	
  totally	
  exposed	
  to	
  the	
  (re)insurance	
  risk	
  for	
  their	
  duration.	
  
	
  
ILW,	
  also	
  known	
  as	
  Industry	
  loss	
  warranty	
  can	
  be	
  understood	
  as	
  a	
  derivative	
  contract	
  
allowing	
  the	
  buyer	
  to	
  buy	
  a	
  coverage	
  against	
  a	
  pre-­‐defined	
  amount	
  of	
  losses	
  experienced	
  by	
  
the	
  industry	
  from	
  a	
  specific	
  event.	
  ILW	
  are	
  set	
  up	
  with	
  a	
  limited	
  amount	
  the	
  buyer	
  could	
  
receive	
  and	
  a	
  minimum	
  amount	
  of	
  industry	
  losses	
  as	
  a	
  trigger.	
  ILW	
  are	
  usually	
  written	
  by	
  
reinsurers	
  or	
  hedge	
  funds	
  and	
  sometimes	
  have	
  specific	
  clauses	
  requesting	
  that	
  the	
  buyer	
  
suffered	
  from	
  losses	
  to	
  receive	
  the	
  pay-­‐out.	
  
	
  
III. Catastrophe	
  bonds	
  
	
  
a. Basics	
  of	
  catastrophe	
  bonds	
  
Cat-­‐bonds	
   are	
   the	
   most	
   used	
   type	
   of	
   ILS	
   and	
   probably	
   the	
   most	
   known	
   from	
  
investors.	
  A	
  cat-­‐bond	
  is	
  a	
  fully	
  collateralized	
  security	
  paying	
  off	
  only	
  if	
  a	
  previously	
  defined	
  
catastrophic	
   event	
   occurs	
   during	
   its	
   lifetime.	
   Although	
   the	
   cat-­‐bonds	
   markets	
   is	
   small	
  
comparing	
  to	
  the	
  larger	
  non-­‐life	
  (re)insurance	
  market,	
  its	
  significant	
  size	
  within	
  the	
  property	
  
catastrophe	
  market	
  is	
  expanding	
  for	
  the	
  last	
  two	
  decades.	
  
The	
  most-­‐used	
  structure	
  used	
  to	
  securitize	
  cat-­‐bond	
  is	
  the	
  same	
  as	
  the	
  one	
  used	
  for	
  classic	
  
ABS	
   transactions	
   that	
   are	
   executed	
   by	
   banks	
   for	
   loans,	
   mortgages	
   and	
   leases.	
   Firstly,	
   a	
  
special	
  purpose	
  vehicle	
  (SPV,	
  or	
  SPRV)	
  is	
  created	
  and	
  located	
  in	
  a	
  low-­‐tax	
  country,	
  usually	
  
  8	
  
Ireland	
  for	
  Europe	
  or	
  in	
  Bermuda,	
  then	
  the	
  SPV	
  issues	
  bonds	
  to	
  investors	
  and	
  receive	
  cash	
  
from	
  them.	
  The	
  cash	
  is	
  invested	
  by	
  the	
  SPV	
  through	
  a	
  trust	
  account	
  in	
  safe	
  and	
  short-­‐term	
  
securities.	
  If	
  the	
  event	
  occurs	
  then	
  the	
  call	
  option	
  held	
  by	
  the	
  (re)insurer	
  on	
  the	
  proceeds	
  is	
  
triggered	
  to	
  help	
  the	
  (re)insurer	
  to	
  pay	
  claims	
  from	
  the	
  event.	
  If	
  there	
  is	
  no	
  trigger	
  activated	
  
during	
  the	
  life	
  of	
  the	
  bond,	
  the	
  principal	
  is	
  returned	
  to	
  investors	
  at	
  maturity.	
  The	
  use	
  of	
  a	
  
SPV	
  is	
  beneficial	
  for	
  both	
  issuers	
  and	
  investors.	
  It	
  indeed	
  allows	
  the	
  issuers	
  to	
  have	
  tax	
  and	
  
accounting	
  benefits	
  linked	
  to	
  traditional	
  reinsurance2
	
  while	
  the	
  investors	
  are	
  isolated	
  from	
  
the	
  operational	
  and	
  solvency	
  risk	
  of	
  the	
  (re)insurer.	
  	
  
The	
  following	
  schema	
  summarize	
  the	
  structure	
  of	
  a	
  "standard"	
  cat-­‐bonda:	
  	
  
	
  
However,	
  the	
  occurrence	
  of	
  a	
  catastrophe	
  is	
  not	
  enough	
  to	
  affect	
  the	
  contract.	
  For	
  
every	
   issued	
   cat-­‐bond,	
   various	
   parameters	
   impacting	
   the	
   contract	
   are	
   defined;	
   the	
   most	
  
obvious	
  are	
  the	
  geographic	
  area	
  and	
  the	
  covered	
  peril(s).	
  The	
  following	
  table	
  highlights	
  the	
  
most	
  common	
  perils	
  according	
  to	
  their	
  geographic	
  coverage:	
  
Perils:	
   Geographic	
  areas:	
  
Storms	
   Northern	
  Europe	
  
	
   Florida	
  
Hurricanes	
   	
  US	
  –	
  East	
  Cost	
  
Floods	
   Australia	
  
	
   Southern	
  Asia	
  
Earthquake	
   Japan	
  
	
   US	
  –	
  West	
  Cost	
  
	
   Mexico	
  
	
  
	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  
2
	
  Cat-­‐bonds	
  have	
  lower	
  corporate	
  tax	
  costs	
  than	
  financing	
  through	
  equity	
  and	
  are	
  less	
  risky	
  
in	
  terms	
  of	
  potential	
  future	
  degradations	
  of	
  (re)insurer	
  financial	
  ratings	
  and	
  capital	
  structure	
  
than	
  financing	
  through	
  subordinated	
  debt,	
  Harrington	
  and	
  Niehaus	
  (2003)	
  
	
  
  9	
  
This	
   table	
   is	
   not	
   exhaustive,	
   covered	
   risks	
   and/or	
   perils	
   can	
   in	
   addition	
   include	
   volcanic	
  
eruption,	
  meteorite	
  impact,	
  wildfire,	
  extreme	
  mortality	
  and	
  extreme	
  lottery	
  winnings;	
  there	
  
are	
   indeed	
   numerous	
   perils	
   with	
   no	
   link	
   to	
   the	
   classical	
   mean	
   of	
   the	
   words	
   "natural	
  
catastrophe".	
  
	
  
Another	
  important	
  parameter	
  is	
  the	
  trigger	
  mechanism	
  on	
  which	
  the	
  investor	
  loss	
  is	
  
based	
  on.	
  This	
  loss	
  is	
  indeed	
  not	
  necessarily	
  based	
  on	
  the	
  sponsor's	
  loss	
  and	
  there	
  are	
  many	
  
trigger	
  mechanism	
  that	
  can	
  be	
  use	
  of	
  which	
  we	
  can	
  highlight	
  4	
  main	
  types.	
  The	
  simplest	
  one	
  
to	
  understand	
  is	
  the	
  indemnity	
  for	
  which	
  the	
  trigger	
  is	
  the	
  actual	
  loss	
  of	
  the	
  issuer	
  due	
  to	
  the	
  
event	
   defined	
   with	
   respect	
   to	
   the	
   parameters	
   of	
   the	
   bond	
   and	
   behaves	
   like	
   traditional	
  
catastrophe	
  reinsurance,	
  for	
  example	
  if	
  the	
  bond	
  is	
  $20m	
  in	
  excess	
  of	
  $100m	
  and	
  the	
  claims	
  
are	
  more	
  than	
  $100m,	
  then	
  the	
  bond	
  is	
  triggered,	
  the	
  bond	
  can	
  also	
  simply	
  be	
  used	
  to	
  cover	
  
the	
  claims	
  from	
  the	
  first	
  claims.	
  This	
  trigger	
  is	
  advantageous	
  for	
  the	
  issuer	
  since	
  its	
  claims	
  
payments	
  can	
  be	
  fully	
  covered	
  but	
  is	
  difficult	
  to	
  mitigate	
  and	
  evaluate	
  the	
  expected	
  losses	
  
for	
  the	
  investor.	
  
But	
  instead	
  of	
  using	
  the	
  actual	
  claims,	
  the	
  trigger	
  can	
  be	
  a	
  modelled	
  losses	
  threshold.	
  An	
  
external	
   agent	
   run	
   through	
   a	
   modelling	
   software	
   the	
   impact	
   of	
   a	
   catastrophic	
   event	
   to	
  
define	
  an	
  exposure,	
  then	
  if	
  the	
  event	
  occurs,	
  the	
  actual	
  event's	
  parameters	
  are	
  used	
  in	
  the	
  
model	
  to	
  determine	
  if	
  the	
  modelled	
  losses	
  are	
  above	
  threshold,	
  in	
  this	
  case	
  the	
  (re)insurer	
  
has	
  the	
  right	
  to	
  call	
  on	
  the	
  bond.	
  	
  
An	
  alternative	
  to	
  the	
  indemnity	
  trigger	
  is	
  the	
  parametric	
  trigger,	
  instead	
  of	
  basing	
  the	
  trigger	
  
on	
  the	
  claims	
  or	
  on	
  the	
  losses,	
  an	
  objective	
  parameter,	
  relative	
  to	
  the	
  natural	
  catastrophe,	
  is	
  
defined.	
   If	
   the	
   actual	
   value	
   of	
   the	
   parameter	
   during	
   the	
   catastrophe	
   is	
   greater	
   than	
   the	
  
reference	
  parameter,	
  for	
  example	
  it	
  can	
  be	
  the	
  wind	
  speed	
  for	
  a	
  windstorm	
  covering	
  cat-­‐
bond,	
  the	
  bond	
  is	
  triggered.	
  This	
  trigger	
  insures	
  a	
  maximum	
  transparency	
  for	
  the	
  investor	
  
and	
  allows	
  the	
  issuer	
  to	
  call	
  on	
  the	
  bond	
  quickly	
  after	
  the	
  payable	
  event.	
  
A	
  last	
  common	
  trigger	
  is	
  the	
  trigger	
  indexed	
  on	
  the	
  industry	
  losses,	
  the	
  trigger	
  is	
  based	
  on	
  
the	
  cumulated	
  losses	
  of	
  a	
  defined	
  insurers	
  and	
  reinsurers	
  basket.	
  The	
  trigger	
  can	
  be	
  the	
  sum	
  
of	
   the	
   loss,	
   or	
   an	
   index	
   calculated	
   on	
   the	
   estimated	
   losses.	
   Because	
   of	
   the	
   different	
  
(re)insurers'	
   losses	
   included,	
   this	
   type	
   of	
   trigger	
   is	
   more	
   transparent	
   that	
   the	
   indemnity	
  
parameter	
  which	
  is	
  based	
  on	
  a	
  single	
  (re)insurer	
  claims.	
  
	
  
  10	
  
Below	
   are	
   two	
   examples	
   of	
   recently	
   issued	
   cat-­‐bonds	
   with	
   different	
   covered	
   perils	
   and	
  
trigger	
  types:	
  
Everglades	
  Re	
  II	
  Ltd.	
  Serie	
  2015-­‐1,	
  source	
  Artemis.bm	
  deal	
  directory	
  
Issuer	
  /	
  SPV:	
  Everglades	
  Re	
  II	
  Ltd.	
  (Series	
  2015-­‐1)	
  
Cedent	
  /	
  Sponsor:	
  Citizens	
  Property	
  Insurance	
  
Placement	
  /	
  structuring	
  agent/s:	
  Citigroup	
  is	
  sole	
  structuring	
  agent	
  and	
  bookrunner.	
  BofA	
  Merrill	
  
Lynch	
  is	
  joint	
  bookrunner.	
  
Risk	
  modelling	
  /	
  calculation	
  agents	
  etc:	
  AIR	
  Worldwide	
  
Risks	
  /	
  Perils	
  covered:	
  Florida	
  named	
  storms	
  
Size:	
  $300m	
  
Trigger	
  type:	
  Indemnity	
  
Ratings:	
  S&P:	
  Class	
  A	
  -­‐	
  'BB(sf)'	
  
Date	
  of	
  issue:	
  May	
  2015	
  
Atlas	
  IX	
  Capital	
  Limited	
  Series	
  2015-­‐1,	
  source	
  Artemis.bm	
  deal	
  directory	
  
Issuer	
  /	
  SPV:	
  Atlas	
  IX	
  Capital	
  Limited	
  (Series	
  2015-­‐1)	
  
Cedent	
  /	
  Sponsor:	
  SCOR	
  Global	
  P&C	
  SE	
  
Placement	
  /	
  structuring	
  agent/s:	
  Aon	
  Benfield	
  Securities	
  is	
  sole	
  structuring	
  agent	
  and	
  bookrunner	
  
Risk	
  modelling	
  /	
  calculation	
  agents	
  etc:	
  AIR	
  Worldwide	
  
Risks	
  /	
  Perils	
  covered:	
  U.S.	
  named	
  storm,	
  U.S.	
  and	
  Canada	
  earthquake	
  
Size:	
  $150m	
  
Trigger	
  type:	
  Industry	
  loss	
  index	
  
Ratings:	
  -­‐	
  
Date	
  of	
  issue:	
  Feb	
  2015	
  
	
  
b. Markets	
  
Cat-­‐bonds	
  are	
  less	
  known	
  by	
  investors	
  than	
  traditional	
  asset	
  classes	
  and	
  even	
  if	
  some	
  
institutional	
  investors	
  have	
  started	
  to	
  use	
  them	
  either	
  like	
  any	
  other	
  traditional	
  securities	
  or	
  
by	
   creating	
   dedicated	
   funds,	
   providing	
   investors	
   and	
   portfolio	
   managers	
   with	
   a	
   better	
  
understanding	
  of	
  these	
  products,	
  the	
  market	
  is	
  not	
  as	
  developed	
  as	
  for	
  traditional	
  assets.	
  
The	
   cat-­‐bonds	
   market	
   is	
   indeed	
   relatively	
   small	
   comparing	
   to	
   the	
   traditional	
   ones,	
   for	
  
instance	
   at	
   the	
   end	
   of	
   July	
   2014,	
   the	
   cat-­‐bonds	
   markets	
   was	
   representing	
   only	
   $25bn	
   of	
  
  11	
  
outstanding	
  securities	
  while	
  the	
  US	
  High	
  Yield	
  and	
  US	
  Bank	
  loan	
  combined	
  were	
  at	
  the	
  same	
  
time	
  corresponding	
  to	
  roughly	
  $12,000bn	
  of	
  outstanding	
  securities3
.	
  	
  
	
  
The	
  cat-­‐bond	
  primary	
  market	
  shares	
  some	
  characteristics	
  with	
  the	
  corporate	
  bond	
  
primary	
  market.	
  The	
  main	
  difference	
  is	
  that	
  at	
  the	
  issuance	
  of	
  a	
  new	
  catastrophe	
  bond,	
  the	
  
goal	
   is	
   for	
   the	
   sponsor	
   to	
   get	
   capital	
   to	
   cover	
   its	
   possible	
   claims	
   payments	
   instead	
   of	
  
strengthening	
   its	
   capital	
   to	
   support	
   its	
   business	
   or	
   fulfil	
   with	
   regulatory	
   obligations.	
   The	
  
coupon	
   is	
   typically	
   floating	
   and	
   obtained	
   by	
   adding	
   a	
   spread	
   corresponding	
   to	
   the	
   risk	
  
premium	
  to	
  a	
  reference	
  rate	
  such	
  as	
  the	
  LIBOR.	
  The	
  pricing	
  depends	
  on	
  various	
  variables	
  and	
  
is	
  not	
  part	
  of	
  the	
  aim	
  of	
  this	
  study,	
  then	
  we	
  will	
  only	
  lightly	
  aboard	
  it	
  later	
  in	
  this	
  paper	
  as	
  for	
  
the	
  loss	
  mechanism.	
  Overall,	
  a	
  catastrophe	
  bond	
  is	
  issued	
  with	
  the	
  following	
  specifics4
:	
  
Maturity:	
  typically	
  between	
  3	
  and	
  4	
  years	
  
	
  Type	
  of	
  security:	
  floating	
  rate	
  
	
  Rating:	
  usually	
  B	
  or	
  BB	
  rated	
  by	
  one	
  of	
  the	
  largest	
  worldwide	
  rating	
  agency	
  such	
  as	
  
S&P	
  
Loss	
  calculation:	
  computed	
  by	
  a	
  independent	
  firm	
  at	
  the	
  issuance	
  of	
  the	
  bond	
  
While	
  various	
  perils	
  and	
  risks	
  are	
  covered,	
  the	
  market	
  can	
  be	
  split	
  in	
  three	
  main	
  types	
  
of	
  perils;	
  10%	
  are	
  covering	
  earthquakes	
  in	
  California	
  only	
  and	
  25%	
  of	
  issued	
  cat-­‐bonds	
  cover	
  
US	
   Hurricane/Wind,	
   then	
   40%	
   are	
   multi-­‐peril	
   and	
   the	
   remaining	
   25%	
   cover	
   European	
  
	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  
3
	
  Dan	
  Singleman	
  for	
  BNP	
  Paribas	
  IP	
  FFTW,	
  "Cat	
  bonds:	
  why	
  they	
  are	
  not	
  a	
  catastrophe	
  for	
  
your	
  portfolio",	
  09/2014	
  
4
Source:	
  Swiss	
  Re,	
  2011	
  
  12	
  
windstorms,	
   earthquakes	
   outside	
   the	
   US	
   (Mexico,	
   Japan)	
   and	
   extreme	
   mortality.	
  
	
  
After	
   issuance,	
   the	
   cat-­‐bonds	
   secondary	
   market	
   is	
   quite	
   similar	
   to	
   the	
   corporate	
  
bonds	
  secondary	
  market.	
  Most	
  cat-­‐bonds	
  are	
  publicly	
  listed,	
  usually	
  at	
  the	
  Bermuda	
  Stock	
  
Exchange	
  or	
  at	
  the	
  Cayman	
  Islands	
  Stock	
  Exchange,	
  but	
  most	
  of	
  the	
  transactions	
  are	
  over	
  the	
  
counter	
  between	
  the	
  issuance	
  and	
  the	
  maturity.	
  The	
  price	
  of	
  a	
  cat-­‐bond	
  on	
  the	
  secondary	
  
market	
  is	
  then	
  variable	
  and	
  comparable	
  to	
  the	
  one	
  of	
  a	
  traditional	
  coupon-­‐bearing	
  corporate	
  
bond	
  with	
  the	
  difference	
  that	
  the	
  risk	
  is	
  a	
  catastrophe	
  risk	
  and	
  not	
  a	
  credit	
  risk.	
  The	
  price	
  is,	
  
in	
  addition	
  of	
  the	
  demand/supply	
  law,	
  impacted	
  by	
  other	
  factors	
  such	
  as	
  the	
  period	
  of	
  the	
  
year	
  and	
  the	
  occurrence	
  of	
  catastrophic	
  event	
  since	
  the	
  issuance.	
  Hurricanes	
  seasons	
  in	
  the	
  
Atlantic	
  Ocean	
  are	
  indeed	
  known	
  to	
  be	
  most	
  likely	
  to	
  happen	
  between	
  August	
  and	
  October5
,	
  
then	
   the	
   knowledge	
   of	
   a	
   benign	
   hurricanes	
   season	
   at	
   the	
   end	
   of	
   September	
   should	
   be	
  
implicitly	
  included	
  in	
  the	
  price	
  of	
  the	
  bond	
  since	
  at	
  this	
  date,	
  the	
  occurrence	
  of	
  a	
  hurricane	
  
triggering	
  the	
  bond	
  is	
  now	
  less	
  likely.	
  This	
  is	
  the	
  same	
  reasoning	
  for	
  the	
  potential	
  loss	
  of	
  
principal	
  resulting	
  from	
  a	
  triggering	
  event	
  since	
  there	
  is	
  usually	
  a	
  delay	
  between	
  an	
  event	
  
and	
  the	
  moment	
  when	
  the	
  trigger	
  is	
  activated	
  (this	
  is	
  due	
  to	
  the	
  various	
  trigger	
  and	
  the	
  need	
  
to	
  sometimes	
  collect	
  numerous	
  data	
  before	
  deciding	
  to	
  call	
  on	
  the	
  bond).	
  Investors	
  when	
  
valuing	
  the	
  bond	
  must	
  consider	
  these	
  characteristics,	
  specific	
  to	
  catastrophe	
  bonds.	
  	
  
The	
   liquidity	
   on	
   the	
   cat-­‐bonds	
   secondary	
   market	
   is	
   cyclical,	
   due	
   to	
   the	
   seasonal	
  
activity	
  for	
  certain	
  perils	
  such	
  as	
  hurricanes,	
  windstorms	
  and	
  typhoons.	
  While	
  this	
  type	
  of	
  
security	
  is	
  not	
  available	
  for	
  retail	
  investors,	
  institutional	
  ones	
  can	
  easily	
  found	
  liquidity	
  to	
  
exit	
  their	
  positions	
  or	
  reduce	
  their	
  risks	
  exposure,	
  for	
  instance	
  the	
  secondary	
  trading	
  volume	
  
at	
  Swiss	
  Re	
  Capital	
  Markets	
  was	
  above	
  $1bn	
  in	
  2010	
  and	
  growing,	
  insuring	
  a	
  relatively	
  liquid	
  
market.	
  
	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  
5
	
  "Analysis	
  and	
  Optimization	
  of	
  a	
  Portfolio	
  of	
  Catastrophe	
  Bonds",	
  Fredrik	
  Giertz,	
  KTH	
  
40%	
  
25%	
  
10%	
  
25%	
  
Perils	
  repar77on	
  -­‐	
  Source:	
  Swiss	
  Re,	
  2011	
  
Mulo-­‐perils	
  
US	
  Hurricanes/Winds	
  
California	
  Earthquakes	
  
Others	
  
  13	
  
IV. Financial	
  characteristics	
  
	
  
a. Loss	
  mechanisms	
  
The	
  pricing	
  of	
  a	
  cat-­‐bond,	
  either	
  at	
  issuance	
  or	
  on	
  the	
  secondary	
  market	
  is,	
  like	
  any	
  
other	
  bond	
  based	
  on	
  its	
  underlying	
  risk.	
  However,	
  an	
  investor	
  must	
  not	
  analyse	
  default	
  risk	
  
of	
   the	
   sponsor	
   but	
   the	
   risk	
   exposure	
   including	
   the	
   expected	
   loss	
   estimates	
   and	
   the	
  
probability	
  of	
  various	
  loss	
  scenarios,	
  meaning	
  a	
  precise	
  evaluation	
  of	
  the	
  underlying	
  natural	
  
catastrophe	
  risk	
  covered	
  by	
  the	
  bond.	
  This	
  evaluation	
  is	
  made	
  by	
  a	
  specialized	
  independent	
  
risk-­‐consulting	
  firm,	
  the	
  most	
  known	
  are	
  AIR	
  Worldwide	
  Corporation,	
  EQECAT.	
  Inc.	
  or	
  Risk	
  
Management	
  Solutions.	
  An	
  investor	
  with	
  an	
  actuarial	
  or	
  scientific	
  background	
  might	
  be	
  able	
  
to	
   estimate	
   these	
   probabilities	
   but	
   it	
   will	
   face	
   the	
   same	
   difficulties	
   that	
   the	
   third-­‐party	
  
consulting-­‐risk	
   companies.	
   The	
   frequency	
   of	
   significant	
   catastrophic	
   events	
   is	
   usually	
  
between	
   decades	
   and	
   centuries6
	
  (the	
   loss	
   scenario	
   for	
   insurers	
   and	
   reinsurers	
   is	
   indeed	
  
based	
  on	
  a	
  one	
  over	
  200	
  years	
  significant	
  event	
  under	
  Solvency	
  2	
  rules	
  for	
  example)	
  and	
  
there	
  is	
  typically	
  no	
  track	
  record	
  of	
  representative	
  claims	
  for	
  a	
  given	
  portfolio	
  of	
  catastrophe	
  
risks.	
  In	
  addition,	
  the	
  quality	
  of	
  the	
  insured	
  objects	
  and	
  the	
  geographical	
  distribution	
  add	
  
difficulties	
  to	
  properly	
  evaluate	
  the	
  risks.	
  	
  
	
  
However	
   it	
   is	
   possible	
   to	
   estimate	
   the	
   risk	
   relative	
   to	
   a	
   natural	
   catastrophe:	
   a	
  
portfolio	
   of	
   risk	
   is	
   used	
   to	
   simulate	
   "an	
   artificial	
   loss	
   experience" 7
	
  by	
   applying	
   a	
  
representative	
  set	
  of	
  natural	
  perils	
  that	
  could	
  affect	
  the	
  given	
  portfolio.	
  With	
  this	
  model,	
  it	
  is	
  
possible	
  to	
  estimate	
  the	
  expected	
  loss	
  for	
  cat-­‐bonds.	
  It	
  includes	
  four	
  elements:	
  
-­‐ Hazard:	
  this	
  is	
  the	
  expected	
  frequency	
  of	
  events	
  within	
  a	
  particular	
  region	
  and	
  is	
  
based	
  on	
  a	
  historical	
  track	
  record	
  of	
  past	
  events	
  and	
  on	
  scientific	
  data.	
  Models	
  
may	
   be	
   as	
   well	
   consider	
   timing	
   since	
   for	
   example	
   atmospheric	
   perils	
   are	
   more	
  
likely	
  to	
  happen	
  due	
  to	
  climate	
  changes.	
  
-­‐ Vulnerability	
  of	
  the	
  insured	
  properties:	
  this	
  is	
  the	
  degree	
  of	
  destruction	
  sustained	
  
by	
  the	
  insured	
  object.	
  The	
  quantification	
  of	
  such	
  parameter	
  is	
  based	
  on	
  past	
  perils	
  
losses.	
  
	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  
6
	
  "The	
  fundamentals	
  of	
  insurance-­‐linked	
  securities",	
  Swiss	
  Re	
  
7
	
  "The	
  fundamentals	
  of	
  insurance-­‐linked	
  securities",	
  Swiss	
  Re	
  
	
  
  14	
  
-­‐ Distribution	
  of	
  the	
  insured	
  values:	
  insured	
  values	
  are	
  distributed	
  with	
  respect	
  to	
  
geographical	
  zones	
  and	
  risk	
  specifications	
  to	
  assess	
  which	
  insured	
  value	
  might	
  be	
  
impacted	
  by	
  a	
  given	
  peril.	
  
-­‐ Insurance	
  conditions:	
  these	
  are	
  the	
  conditions	
  relative	
  to	
  the	
  insurance	
  contract	
  
such	
  as	
  for	
  examples	
  claims	
  limits	
  or	
  deductibles	
  (if	
  the	
  losses	
  are	
  less	
  than	
  the	
  
applicable	
  deductible	
  the	
  insurance	
  payments	
  would	
  be	
  significantly	
  reduced).	
  
	
  
Some	
  other	
  factors	
  can	
  affect	
  the	
  loss	
  estimates	
  such	
  as	
  the	
  trigger,	
  the	
  cost	
  of	
  building	
  that	
  
might	
  rise	
  following	
  the	
  event.	
  Overall	
  the	
  set	
  up	
  of	
  such	
  simulation	
  model	
  needs	
  a	
  large	
  
variety	
   of	
   parameters	
   and	
   is	
   complex.	
   The	
   result	
   of	
   the	
   simulation	
   is	
   defined	
   as	
   a	
   loss	
  
frequency	
  or	
  as	
  an	
  exceedance	
  probability	
  curve	
  as	
  displayed	
  above.	
  
	
  
b. Pricing	
  
As	
  mentioned	
  before,	
  cat-­‐bonds	
  are	
  floating	
  rate	
  securities;	
  the	
  sponsor	
  is	
  then	
  as	
  for	
  
traditional	
   bonds	
   paying	
   a	
   spread	
   over	
   a	
   reference	
   rate	
   to	
   its	
   investors.	
   In	
   theory,	
   the	
  
sources	
   of	
   default	
   are	
   totally	
   independent	
   for	
   a	
   corporate	
   and	
   a	
   catastrophe	
   bond	
   of	
  
equivalent	
  rating	
  since	
  the	
  securitization	
  structure	
  through	
  a	
  SPV	
  and	
  the	
  collateral	
  account	
  
insure	
  that	
  investors	
  in	
  cat-­‐bonds	
  are	
  not	
  impacted	
  in	
  case	
  of	
  default	
  from	
  the	
  (re)insurer.	
  
Investors	
  should	
  then	
  be	
  willing	
  to	
  pay	
  a	
  premium	
  to	
  benefit	
  the	
  diversification	
  of	
  their	
  risk	
  
and	
  the	
  expected	
  return	
  should	
  be	
  lower	
  than	
  for	
  corporate	
  bonds	
  (at	
  equivalent	
  ratings).	
  
  15	
  
However	
  the	
  following	
  graph8
	
  shows	
  that	
  the	
  average	
  yield	
  of	
  BB-­‐rated	
  corporate	
  bonds	
  is	
  
largely	
  lower	
  than	
  the	
  one	
  of	
  catastrophe	
  bonds.	
  
	
  
This	
  market	
  behaviour	
  can	
  be	
  explained	
  by	
  three	
  factors:	
  (a)	
  catastrophe	
  bonds	
  are	
  not	
  
known	
  enough	
  and	
  most	
  investors	
  remain	
  unfamiliar	
  with	
  their	
  characteristics	
  and	
  theirs	
  
dynamics;	
  (b)	
  the	
  larger	
  managers	
  focused	
  on	
  the	
  sector	
  rather	
  invest	
  in	
  other	
  ILS	
  because	
  of	
  
the	
  smaller	
  size	
  of	
  the	
  cat-­‐bonds	
  market	
  and	
  (c)	
  cat-­‐bonds	
  are	
  non-­‐proportional	
  reinsurance	
  
securities	
  (once	
  the	
  bond	
  is	
  triggered,	
  the	
  entire	
  notional	
  will	
  quickly	
  be	
  lost)	
  
	
  
The	
   pricing	
   of	
   catastrophe	
   bonds	
   is	
   still	
   subject	
   to	
   theories,	
   some	
   value	
   them	
   for	
  
example	
  using	
  a	
  traditional	
  risk	
  securitization	
  approach	
  by	
  considering	
  the	
  cat-­‐bond	
  as	
  a	
  CDS	
  
while	
  others	
  rather	
  consider	
  an	
  "index"	
  approach	
  and	
  each	
  payment	
  as	
  a	
  caplet	
  to	
  value	
  the	
  
bond.	
   Jarrow	
   (2010)	
   provides	
   a	
   formula	
   consistent	
   with	
   any	
   arbitrage-­‐free	
   model	
   for	
   the	
  
evolution	
   of	
   the	
   LIBOR	
   term	
   structure	
   of	
   interest	
   rates.	
   This	
   formula	
   is	
   based	
   on	
   the	
  
probability	
  of	
  the	
  occurrence	
  of	
  the	
  covered	
  catastrophic	
  peril	
  and	
  the	
  expected	
  loss	
  rate	
  in	
  
case	
  of	
  occurrence.	
  According	
  to	
  Jarrow,	
  the	
  value	
  of	
  a	
  cat	
  bond	
  is	
  equal	
  to	
  (a)	
  the	
  value	
  of	
  
the	
  next	
  coupon	
  payment	
  times	
  the	
  probability	
  of	
  no	
  event,	
  (b)	
  added	
  to	
  the	
  recovery	
  on	
  the	
  
LIBOR	
  floating	
  rate	
  note	
  times	
  the	
  probability	
  of	
  the	
  loss	
  happening	
  before	
  the	
  next	
  coupon	
  
payment,	
  (c)	
  plus	
  the	
  value	
  of	
  a	
  LIBOR	
  floating	
  rate	
  note	
  received	
  at	
  the	
  next	
  payment	
  date	
  
times	
  the	
  probability	
  of	
  no	
  events,	
  (d)	
  less	
  the	
  expected	
  loss	
  after	
  the	
  next	
  coupon	
  payment,	
  
multiplied	
  by	
  the	
  probability	
  of	
  the	
  loss	
  occurring	
  after	
  the	
  next	
  payment	
  finally	
  added	
  to	
  the	
  
(e)	
  expected	
  fixed	
  payments	
  after	
  the	
  next	
  coupon	
  payment	
  times	
  the	
  probability	
  that	
  it	
  is	
  
	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  
8
	
  Source:	
  Swiss	
  Re	
  Capital	
  Markets,	
  "The	
  fundamentals	
  of	
  insurance-­‐linked	
  securities"	
  
  16	
  
received	
  with	
  the	
  probabilities	
  being	
  summed	
  across	
  all	
  times.	
  Overall,	
  the	
  probability	
  of	
  the	
  
occurrence	
  of	
  the	
  natural	
  peril	
  and	
  the	
  expected	
  losses	
  are	
  the	
  key	
  factors	
  when	
  valuing	
  a	
  
cat-­‐bond.	
  
	
  
c. Correlation	
  and	
  sensitivity	
  to	
  traditional	
  markets	
  
In	
  theory	
  cat-­‐bonds	
  represent	
  for	
  investors	
  a	
  way	
  of	
  gaining	
  a	
  return	
  uncorrelated	
  to	
  
macroeconomic	
  data,	
  political	
  environment	
  and	
  business	
  activity	
  that	
  are	
  usually	
  risk	
  factors	
  
for	
  traditional	
  corporate	
  bonds.	
  The	
  below	
  graph	
  show	
  the	
  strong	
  resilience	
  of	
  the	
  cat-­‐bonds	
  
market	
  during	
  both	
  the	
  subprime	
  crisis	
  and	
  later	
  the	
  Eurozone	
  debt	
  crisis	
  against	
  equities,	
  
sovereign	
  bonds	
  and	
  corporate	
  bonds.	
  
	
  
However	
   it	
   is	
   wrong	
   to	
   consider	
   cat-­‐bonds	
   as	
   totally	
   uncorrelated	
   from	
   the	
   traditional	
  
economy	
  and	
  financial	
  assets.	
  As	
  we	
  said	
  before,	
  for	
  an	
  equivalent	
  rating,	
  a	
  corporate	
  bond	
  
and	
  a	
  catastrophe	
  bond	
  should	
  have	
  independent	
  return	
  and	
  should	
  be	
  uncorrelated.	
  While	
  
our	
  computed	
  correlation	
  coefficient	
  for	
  the	
  past	
  13	
  years	
  between	
  cat	
  bonds	
  and	
  corporate	
  
bonds	
  returns	
  is	
  relatively	
  low	
  with	
  a	
  value	
  of	
  0.16	
  for	
  the	
  Dow	
  Jones	
  Corporate	
  Bond	
  Total	
  
Return	
  index	
  relative	
  to	
  the	
  Swiss	
  Re	
  BB	
  Rated	
  Cat	
  Bond	
  Total	
  Return	
  index;	
  the	
  graph	
  below	
  
shows	
   that	
   the	
   moving	
   correlation	
   coefficient	
   based	
   on	
   the	
   weekly	
   return	
   of	
   the	
   last	
   6	
  
50	
  
100	
  
150	
  
200	
  
250	
  
300	
  
Swiss	
  Re	
  Global	
  Cat	
  Bond	
  Total	
  Return	
  	
   S&P	
  Total	
  Return	
  	
  
Euro	
  STOXX	
  600	
   Merrill	
  Lynch	
  10-­‐year	
  U.S.	
  Treasury	
  Futures	
  Total	
  Return	
  
S&P	
  Eurozone	
  Sovereign	
  Bond	
  Index	
  Total	
  Return	
   Barclays	
  global	
  corp	
  total	
  return	
  hedged	
  USD	
  
Dow	
  Jones	
  Corporate	
  Bond	
  Total	
  Return	
  
  17	
  
months	
  can	
  go	
  up	
  to	
  more	
  than	
  0.50.	
  Furthermore,	
  we	
  can	
  highlight	
  that	
  the	
  correlation	
  was	
  
particularly	
  high	
  during	
  the	
  2008	
  financial	
  crisis.	
  This	
  result	
  is	
  in	
  line	
  with	
  the	
  previous	
  study	
  
of	
   Carayannopoulos	
   and	
   Perez	
   (2013)	
   that	
   stated	
   that	
   catastrophe	
   bonds	
   are	
   low	
   beta	
  
securities	
  only	
  in	
  non-­‐crisis	
  period9
.	
  
	
  
This	
  correlation	
  can	
  be	
  explained	
  by	
  the	
  structure	
  itself	
  of	
  the	
  bond,	
  notably	
  because	
  of	
  the	
  
trust	
  account	
  and	
  of	
  the	
  assets	
  used	
  as	
  a	
  collateral	
  in	
  this	
  account.	
  A	
  simple	
  way	
  to	
  approach	
  
this	
  correlation	
  is	
  to	
  remember	
  that	
  cat-­‐bonds	
  are	
  competing	
  with	
  corporate	
  bonds,	
  thus	
  
their	
  floating	
  rate	
  is	
  based	
  on	
  the	
  same	
  reference	
  rate,	
  this	
  and	
  the	
  collateral	
  assets	
  make	
  
two	
  direct	
  links	
  or	
  correlation	
  factors	
  to	
  the	
  other	
  class	
  of	
  assets.	
  
	
  
Furthermore,	
  the	
  investors	
  must	
  know	
  that	
  the	
  duration	
  of	
  a	
  cat-­‐bond	
  is	
  larger	
  than	
  
the	
  duration	
  of	
  a	
  similar	
  straight	
  bond10
,	
  creating	
  a	
  positive	
  correlation	
  from	
  the	
  common	
  
sensitivity	
  to	
  interest	
  rates	
  changes	
  for	
  catastrophe	
  and	
  corporate	
  bonds.	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  
9
	
  "Diversification	
  through	
  Catastrophe	
  Bonds:	
  Lessons	
  from	
  the	
  Subprime	
  Financial	
  Crisis,	
  
2013,	
  Carayannopoulos	
  and	
  Perez	
  
10
	
  "Using	
  Catastrophe-­‐Linked	
  Securities	
  to	
  Diversify	
  Insurance	
  Risk:	
  A	
  Financial	
  Analysis	
  of	
  Cat	
  
Bonds",	
  1999,	
  Loubergé,	
  Kellizi	
  &	
  Gilli	
  
-­‐0.60	
  	
  	
  	
  
-­‐0.40	
  	
  	
  	
  
-­‐0.20	
  	
  	
  	
  
	
  -­‐	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  
	
  0.20	
  	
  	
  	
  
	
  0.40	
  	
  	
  	
  
	
  0.60	
  	
  	
  	
  
	
  0.80	
  	
  	
  	
  
CoefWicient	
  of	
  correlation	
  between	
  Dow	
  Jones	
  Corporate	
  Bonds	
  Total	
  Return	
  and	
  Swiss	
  Re	
  
BB	
  Rated	
  Cat	
  Bonds	
  Total	
  Return	
  
  18	
  
V. Empirical	
  study	
  
	
  
In	
  this	
  study,	
  we	
  neglect	
  the	
  specific	
  risk.	
  Indexes	
  are	
  used	
  to	
  highlight	
  the	
  systematic	
  
risk	
   of	
   each	
   asset	
   class	
   defined	
   here	
   as	
   equities,	
   sovereign	
   bonds,	
   corporate	
   bonds	
   and	
  
catastrophe	
   bonds	
   and	
   cover	
   a	
   wide	
   range	
   of	
   geographic	
   areas,	
   industries,	
   ratings,	
  
nominated	
   currencies,	
   catastrophic	
   events.	
   However	
   it	
   is	
   important	
   to	
   notice	
   that	
   all	
   of	
  
these	
  indexes	
  are	
  said	
  to	
  be	
  "total	
  return",	
  then	
  they	
  include	
  all	
  the	
  potential	
  gains	
  for	
  the	
  
investors	
  including	
  dividends	
  and	
  coupons	
  payments	
  in	
  addition	
  to	
  the	
  price	
  evolution	
  of	
  the	
  
security.	
  
	
  
The	
  catastrophe	
  bonds	
  market	
  is	
  small	
  relatively	
  to	
  more	
  classic	
  and	
  better-­‐known	
  
assets	
  and	
  there	
  are	
  only	
  five	
  indexes	
  tracking	
  the	
  performance	
  of	
  these	
  financial	
  products.	
  
The	
  indexes	
  used	
  in	
  this	
  thesis	
  are	
  all	
  designed	
  and	
  computed	
  by	
  Swiss	
  Re	
  Capital	
  Markets,	
  
the	
  company	
  launched	
  the	
  Swiss	
  Re	
  Cat	
  Bond	
  Indices	
  suite	
  in	
  2007	
  as	
  the	
  first	
  total	
  return	
  
indexes	
  provided	
  to	
  the	
  industry	
  of	
  reinsurance.	
  Furthermore,	
  Swiss	
  Re	
  Capital	
  Markets	
  has	
  
retroactively	
  computed	
  the	
  indexes	
  until	
  2002,	
  leaving	
  a	
  covered	
  period	
  of	
  more	
  than	
  13	
  
years	
  from	
  January	
  2002	
  to	
  today.	
  	
  For	
  each	
  of	
  these	
  cat-­‐bonds	
  indexes,	
  it	
  tracks	
  the	
  coupon	
  
return,	
   representing	
   the	
   accrued	
   spread	
   plus	
   collateral	
   return	
   and	
   the	
   price	
   return	
  
measuring	
  the	
  movement	
  of	
  secondary	
  bid	
  as	
  provided	
  by	
  Swiss	
  Re	
  Capital	
  Markets	
  on	
  a	
  
weekly-­‐basis.11
	
  	
  
	
  
This	
  study	
  focuses	
  on	
  a	
  13	
  years	
  time	
  period,	
  from	
  the	
  first	
  Friday	
  of	
  January	
  2002	
  to	
  
the	
   second	
   Friday	
   of	
   January	
   2015	
   (catastrophe	
   bonds	
   indices	
   provided	
   by	
   Swiss	
   Re	
   are	
  
computed	
   on	
   a	
   weekly	
   basis).	
   This	
   time	
   interval	
   allows	
   us	
   to	
   study	
   the	
   behaviour	
   of	
  
catastrophe	
  bonds	
  during	
  economic	
  stability,	
  global	
  crisis	
  and	
  recovery	
  times.	
  The	
  number	
  of	
  
observed	
  values	
  for	
  each	
  index	
  is	
  679,	
  providing	
  678	
  observations	
  of	
  weekly	
  returns.	
  The	
  aim	
  
of	
  this	
  study	
  is	
  to	
  provide	
  empirical	
  results	
  and	
  conclusions	
  on	
  the	
  possible	
  efficiency	
  of	
  cat-­‐
bonds	
  as	
  a	
  diversification	
  tool,	
  thus	
  all	
  the	
  results	
  that	
  will	
  be	
  discussed	
  below	
  are	
  based	
  on	
  
historical	
  data	
  only	
  and	
  no	
  modelled	
  or	
  forecasted	
  data	
  have	
  been	
  used.	
  
	
  
	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  
11
	
  Swiss	
  Re	
  Capital	
  Markets	
  Methodology	
  for	
  more	
  detailed	
  information,	
  please	
  refer	
  to	
  the	
  
appendixes	
  
  19	
  
The	
  aim	
  of	
  this	
  thesis	
  is	
  to	
  highlight	
  the	
  potential	
  benefits	
  for	
  the	
  investor	
  of	
  adding	
  cat-­‐
bonds	
  to	
  its	
  portfolio,	
  thus	
  the	
  chosen	
  indexes	
  to	
  represent	
  the	
  different	
  asset	
  classes	
  are	
  
strictly	
  the	
  same	
  for	
  the	
  two	
  studied	
  portfolio,	
  only	
  the	
  allocation	
  is	
  varying.	
  
	
  
The	
  descriptive	
  statistics	
  of	
  the	
  two	
  cat	
  bonds	
  indexes	
  can	
  be	
  found	
  in	
  the	
  appendixes.	
  
	
  
a. Definition	
  of	
  the	
  two	
  portfolios	
  
Both	
   portfolios	
   have	
   the	
   same	
   initial	
   amount	
   of	
   capital,	
   which	
   for	
   simplification	
  
reason,	
  is	
  assumed	
  to	
  be	
  equal	
  to	
  1	
  or	
  100%.	
  Each	
  portfolio	
  has	
  its	
  capital	
  allocated	
  between	
  
listed	
  stocks,	
  sovereign	
  bonds,	
  corporate	
  bonds	
  and	
  cat-­‐bonds.	
  The	
  allocated	
  proportions	
  for	
  
equity	
  and	
  government	
  bonds	
  are	
  the	
  same	
  for	
  both	
  portfolios	
  and	
  since	
  the	
  asset	
  that	
  has	
  
the	
   most	
   of	
   common	
   characteristics	
   with	
   a	
   cat-­‐bond	
   is	
   a	
   corporate	
   bond,	
   the	
   only	
   two	
  
differences	
  between	
  the	
  two	
  studied	
  portfolios	
  are	
  the	
  proportions	
  of	
  capital	
  allocated	
  to	
  
the	
  corporate	
  bonds	
  and	
  to	
  the	
  catastrophe	
  bonds.	
  The	
  indexes	
  used	
  in	
  this	
  thesis	
  are	
  the	
  
following	
  
-­‐ Equity:	
  
o CAC	
  40	
  
o FOOTSIE	
  100	
  
o DAX	
  
o S&P	
  Total	
  Return	
  
o NASDAQ	
  100	
  
o EURO	
  STOXX	
  600	
  
-­‐ Sovereign	
  bonds:	
  
o Merrill	
  Lynch	
  10-­‐y	
  US	
  Treasury	
  Futures	
  Total	
  Return	
  
o JP	
  Morgan	
  Global	
  Government	
  Bond	
  Index	
  Hedged	
  in	
  USD	
  Ex	
  US	
  1-­‐y	
  to	
  	
  
10-­‐y	
  Maturity	
  
o S&P	
  Eurozone	
  Sovereign	
  Bond	
  Index	
  Total	
  Return	
  
o Barclays	
  EuroAgg	
  Treasury	
  Total	
  Return	
  Index	
  Value	
  Unhedged	
  EUR	
  
-­‐ Corporate	
  bonds:	
  
o The	
  BofA	
  Merrill	
  Lynch	
  1-­‐y	
  to	
  5-­‐y	
  US	
  Corporate	
  Index	
  
o Dow	
  Jones	
  Corporate	
  Bond	
  Total	
  Return	
  Index	
  
o Barclays	
  Global	
  Corp	
  Total	
  Return	
  Hedged	
  USD	
  
-­‐ Catastrophe	
  bonds:	
  
  20	
  
o Swiss	
  Re	
  BB	
  Rated	
  Cat	
  Bond	
  Total	
  Return	
  
o Swiss	
  Re	
  Global	
  Cat	
  Bond	
  Total	
  Return	
  
All	
  values	
  have	
  been	
  downloaded	
  from	
  Bloomberg	
  databases	
  being	
  already	
  provided	
  as	
  USD	
  
denominated	
   to	
   avoid	
   potential	
   interpretation	
   issues	
   arising	
   from	
   the	
   currency	
   price	
  
variations	
  between	
  EUR	
  and	
  USD.	
  
	
  
Since	
  the	
  investment	
  scenario	
  in	
  this	
  study	
  is	
  based	
  on	
  a	
  diversification	
  strategy,	
  the	
  
capital	
  is	
  firstly	
  allocated	
  between	
  equities,	
  government	
  bonds	
  and	
  non-­‐government	
  bonds,	
  
and	
  then	
  the	
  sub-­‐allocation	
  is	
  made	
  between	
  corporate	
  bonds	
  and	
  catastrophe	
  bonds	
  within	
  
the	
  allocated	
  capital	
  for	
  non-­‐government	
  bonds.	
  The	
  allocation	
  is	
  capped	
  at	
  40%	
  and	
  floored	
  
at	
  30%	
  to	
  remain	
  within	
  the	
  diversification	
  strategy	
  principle.	
  For	
  the	
  reference	
  portfolio,	
  the	
  
sub-­‐allocation	
   is	
   always	
   100%	
   for	
   corporate	
   bonds	
   (between	
   30%	
   and	
   40%	
   of	
   the	
   total	
  
allocated	
   capital)	
   and	
   variable	
   between	
   corporate	
   and	
   catastrophe	
   bonds	
   for	
   the	
   test	
  
portfolio.	
   For	
   the	
   different	
   allocation,	
   we	
   highlight	
   the	
   following	
   parameters	
   described	
  
below.	
   We	
   then	
   simulate	
   the	
   two	
   portfolios	
   for	
   the	
   different	
   possible	
   allocation	
  
combinations.	
  
	
  
b. Analysis	
  and	
  risk-­‐return	
  measurements	
  
To	
  highlight	
  the	
  potential	
  benefit	
  of	
  a	
  portfolio	
  diversification	
  through	
  the	
  investment	
  
in	
  catastrophe	
  bonds,	
  we	
  will	
  study	
  returns	
  and	
  risk	
  indicators	
  for	
  the	
  studied	
  period:	
  
-­‐ The	
  historical	
  average	
  return	
  based	
  on	
  the	
  last	
  3	
  months	
  calculated	
  adding	
  the	
  last	
  13	
  
weekly	
  return	
  values	
  without	
  any	
  weight	
  and	
  dividing	
  the	
  sum	
  by	
  13.	
  
-­‐ The	
  historical	
  average	
  volatility	
  based	
  on	
  the	
  last	
  3	
  months.	
  The	
  volatility	
  is	
  computed	
  
using	
   the	
   traditional	
   mean-­‐centred	
   formula	
   over	
   a	
   3	
   months	
   time	
   period	
  
representing	
  an	
  interval	
  of	
  13	
  observations	
  as	
  below:	
  
𝜎 =
1
13
(𝑟! − 𝑟  )
!"
!!!
	
  
	
   Where	
   𝑟	
  is	
  the	
  mean	
  return	
  of	
  the	
  portfolio	
  over	
  the	
  last	
  13	
  weeks	
  and	
   𝑟!	
  the	
  weekly	
  
	
   return	
   for	
   the	
   week	
   ending	
   i.	
   The	
   historical	
   average	
   is	
   calculated	
   adding	
   the	
   13	
  
	
   volatility	
  values	
  without	
  any	
  weight	
  and	
  dividing	
  the	
  sum	
  by	
  13.	
  
  21	
  
-­‐ The	
  historical	
  Value	
  at	
  Risk	
  (VaR)	
  within	
  a	
  99%	
  confidence	
  interval.	
  The	
  VaR	
  in	
  this	
  
study	
  is	
  calculated	
  by	
  taking	
  the	
  second	
  worst	
  price	
  variation	
  on	
  a	
  100	
  previous	
  days	
  
time	
  interval.	
  
-­‐ The	
  yearly	
  Sharpe	
  ratio	
  calculated	
  on	
  the	
  yearly	
  performance	
  of	
  the	
  portfolio,	
  using	
  
the	
  following	
  formula:	
  
𝑆ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑝𝑒  𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜  𝑓𝑜𝑟  𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟  𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔  𝑖 =  
𝑟!"#$%"&'"
!
−   𝑟!"#$!!"##
!
𝜎!"#$%"&'"
!
	
  
Where	
  the	
  risk-­‐free	
  return	
  is	
  the	
  yearly	
  return	
  of	
  the	
  sovereign	
  bond	
  index	
  chosen	
  in	
  
the	
  two	
  portfolios.	
  This	
  is	
  not	
  the	
  traditional	
  definition	
  of	
  a	
  risk-­‐free	
  return	
  but	
  the	
  
aim	
  of	
  this	
  study	
  is	
  to	
  determine	
  the	
  delivered	
  potential	
  excess	
  return	
  thanks	
  to	
  the	
  
investment	
  in	
  cat-­‐bonds	
  and	
  the	
  weights	
  of	
  governments	
  bonds	
  being	
  the	
  same	
  for	
  
the	
  two	
  portfolio	
  we	
  can	
  assume	
  than	
  the	
  risk	
  free	
  return	
  is	
  the	
  return	
  of	
  the	
  chosen	
  
sovereign	
  bonds	
  index.	
  
	
  
VI. Conclusion	
  
	
  
The	
  results	
  of	
  the	
  analysis	
  of	
  the	
  two	
  portfolios	
  are	
  conclusive.	
  Overall	
  the	
  portfolio	
  
diversified	
   with	
   catastrophe	
   bonds	
   performed	
   better	
   by	
   more	
   than	
   10%	
   than	
   the	
   one	
  
without	
  cat-­‐bonds	
  on	
  the	
  13	
  years	
  period,	
  representing	
  an	
  outperformance	
  of	
  0.45%	
  on	
  a	
  
mean	
   yearly	
   basis.	
   However,	
   investing	
   in	
   cat-­‐bonds	
   does	
   not	
   provide	
   an	
   efficient	
   way	
   to	
  
avoid	
  volatility,	
  there	
  is	
  indeed	
  no	
  difference	
  between	
  the	
  two	
  portfolios	
  on	
  a	
  mean	
  yearly	
  
basis.	
  The	
  average	
  Sharpe	
  ratio	
  for	
  the	
  total	
  studied	
  period	
  is	
  always	
  higher	
  for	
  the	
  portfolio	
  
including	
  cat-­‐bonds	
  of	
  0.55.	
  Diversification	
  through	
  catastrophe	
  bonds	
  is	
  then	
  not	
  reducing	
  
the	
   risk	
   but	
   is	
   nevertheless	
   more	
   remunerating	
   the	
   investor	
   for	
   this	
   risk.	
   The	
   investor	
   is	
  
indeed	
  receiving	
  a	
  higher	
  return	
  for	
  an	
  equivalent	
  risk.	
  The	
  value	
  at	
  risk	
  at	
  100	
  days	
  at	
  99%	
  
confidence	
  interval	
  is	
  slightly	
  reduced	
  thanks	
  to	
  the	
  cat-­‐bonds	
  but	
  not	
  in	
  term	
  of	
  level	
  of	
  
losses;	
  both	
  portfolios	
  experienced	
  equivalent	
  levels	
  of	
  VaR(99%,	
  100	
  days),	
  but	
  the	
  portfolio	
  
including	
  cat-­‐bonds	
  came	
  back	
  to	
  lower	
  level	
  in	
  a	
  shorter	
  time	
  than	
  the	
  reference	
  portfolio.	
  
Furthermore,	
  during	
  the	
  banking	
  and	
  financial	
  crisis	
  the	
  volatility	
  of	
  the	
  portfolio	
  containing	
  
cat-­‐bonds	
  was	
  more	
  resilient	
  to	
  the	
  market	
  shocks,	
  highlighting	
  a	
  average	
  3-­‐months	
  volatility	
  
around	
   1%	
   lower	
   than	
   the	
   reference	
   portfolio.	
   In	
   addition,	
   the	
   geographic	
   diversification	
  
within	
  the	
  traditional	
  asset	
  classes	
  has	
  an	
  additional	
  positive	
  impact	
  on	
  the	
  Sharpe	
  ratio,	
  for	
  
  22	
  
instance,	
  the	
  simulation	
  using	
  the	
  CAC40	
  index	
  provided	
  significant	
  lower	
  Sharpe	
  ratio	
  than	
  
the	
  EURO	
  STOXX	
  600.	
  
	
  
Catastrophe	
  bonds	
  market	
  has	
  been	
  growing	
  for	
  decades,	
  while	
  it	
  is	
  still	
  not	
  available	
  
for	
   retail	
   or	
   individual	
   investors,	
   it	
   keeps	
   on	
   attracting	
   more	
   and	
   more	
   institutional	
  
investment	
   companies.	
   The	
   market	
   is	
   relatively	
   liquid	
   and	
   lightly	
   correlated	
   to	
   traditional	
  
markets	
   in	
   "normal"	
   times,	
   this,	
   linked	
   to	
   the	
   convergence	
   of	
   financial	
   markets	
   with	
  
reinsurance	
  industry	
  supports	
  the	
  expansion	
  of	
  the	
  catastrophe	
  bonds	
  market.	
  In	
  addition,	
  
the	
  strong	
  diversification	
  bought	
  by	
  cat-­‐bonds	
  thanks	
  to	
  both	
  their	
  various	
  geographic	
  and	
  
perils	
  coverage	
  make	
  them	
  an	
  efficient	
  diversification	
  tools	
  for	
  investors,	
  however	
  the	
  lack	
  of	
  
consensus	
  on	
  a	
  valuation	
  formula	
  and	
  the	
  complexity	
  of	
  estimated	
  losses	
  probability	
  are	
  still	
  
barriers	
  to	
  a	
  larger	
  use	
  of	
  this	
  ILS.	
  
	
   	
  
  23	
  
Appendixes	
  
	
  
Swiss	
  Re	
  Global	
  Cat	
  Bonds	
  Indice,	
  99%	
  confidence	
  interval	
  
Nombre	
   678	
   Coefficient	
  de	
  dissymétrie	
   -­‐1.2930	
  
Moyenne	
   0.0016	
   Erreur	
  type	
  sur	
  le	
  coefficient	
  de	
  dissymétrie	
   0.0937	
  
Moyenne	
  LCL	
   0.0012	
   Coefficient	
  d'aplatissement	
   41.4148	
  
Moyenne	
  UCL	
   0.0019	
   Erreur	
  type	
  de	
  l'aplatissement	
   0.1866	
  
Variance	
   0.0000	
   Dissymétrie	
  alternative	
  (de	
  Fisher)	
   -­‐1.2959	
  
Déviation	
  standard	
   0.0037	
   Aplatissement	
  alternatif	
  (de	
  Fisher)	
   38.7085	
  
Erreur	
  type	
  (de	
  la	
  moyenne)	
   0.0001	
   Coefficient	
  de	
  variation	
   2.3819	
  
Minimum	
  
-­‐
0.0319	
   Déviation	
  moyenne	
   0.0017	
  
Maximum	
   0.0402	
   Moment	
  d'ordre	
  2	
   0.0000	
  
Intervalle	
   0.0721	
   Moment	
  d'ordre	
  3	
   0.0000	
  
Somme	
   1.0594	
   Moment	
  d'ordre	
  4	
   0.0000	
  
Somme	
  des	
  erreurs	
  types	
   0.0969	
   Médiane	
   0.0015	
  
Total	
  des	
  sommes	
  des	
  carrés	
   0.0110	
   Erreur	
  médiane	
   0.0000	
  
Somme	
  des	
  carrés	
  ajustée	
   0.0094	
   Centile	
  25%	
  (Q1)	
   0.0009	
  
Moyenne	
  géométrique	
   0.0034	
   Centile	
  75%	
  (Q2)	
   0.0026	
  
Moyenne	
  harmonique	
   0.0015	
   IQR	
   0.0018	
  
Mode	
   #N/A	
   MAD	
   0.0008	
  
	
  
	
   	
  
0	
  
50	
  
100	
  
150	
  
200	
  
-­‐0.0324	
  
-­‐0.03	
  
-­‐0.0276	
  
-­‐0.0252	
  
-­‐0.0228	
  
-­‐0.0204	
  
-­‐0.018	
  
-­‐0.0156	
  
-­‐0.0132	
  
-­‐0.0108	
  
-­‐0.0084	
  
-­‐0.006	
  
-­‐0.0036	
  
-­‐0.0012	
  
0.0012	
  
0.0036	
  
0.006	
  
0.0084	
  
0.0108	
  
0.0132	
  
0.0156	
  
0.018	
  
0.0204	
  
0.0228	
  
0.0252	
  
0.0276	
  
0.03	
  
0.0324	
  
0.0348	
  
0.0372	
  
0.0396	
  
Nb.	
  d'obs.	
  
Valeur	
  
  24	
  
Swiss	
  Re	
  BB	
  Rated	
  Cat	
  Bonds	
  Indice,	
  99%	
  confidence	
  interval	
  
Nombre	
   678	
   Coefficient	
  de	
  dissymétrie	
   -­‐2.2956	
  
Moyenne	
   0.0013	
   Erreur	
  type	
  sur	
  le	
  coefficient	
  de	
  dissymétrie	
   0.0937	
  
Moyenne	
  LCL	
   0.0009	
   Coefficient	
  d'aplatissement	
   47.0138	
  
Moyenne	
  UCL	
   0.0017	
   Erreur	
  type	
  de	
  l'aplatissement	
   0.1866	
  
Variance	
   0.0000	
   Dissymétrie	
  alternative	
  (de	
  Fisher)	
   -­‐2.3007	
  
Déviation	
  standard	
   0.0042	
   Aplatissement	
  alternatif	
  (de	
  Fisher)	
   44.3490	
  
Erreur	
  type	
  (de	
  la	
  moyenne)	
   0.0002	
   Coefficient	
  de	
  variation	
   3.2010	
  
Minimum	
  
-­‐
0.0400	
   Déviation	
  moyenne	
   0.0017	
  
Maximum	
   0.0439	
   Moment	
  d'ordre	
  2	
   0.0000	
  
Intervalle	
   0.0839	
   Moment	
  d'ordre	
  3	
   0.0000	
  
Somme	
   0.8925	
   Moment	
  d'ordre	
  4	
   0.0000	
  
Somme	
  des	
  erreurs	
  types	
   0.1097	
   Médiane	
   0.0014	
  
Total	
  des	
  sommes	
  des	
  carrés	
   0.0132	
   Erreur	
  médiane	
   0.0000	
  
Somme	
  des	
  carrés	
  ajustée	
   0.0120	
   Centile	
  25%	
  (Q1)	
   0.0008	
  
Moyenne	
  géométrique	
   0.0031	
   Centile	
  75%	
  (Q2)	
   0.0024	
  
Moyenne	
  harmonique	
   0.0015	
   IQR	
   0.0016	
  
Mode	
   #N/A	
   MAD	
   0.0008	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
0	
  
50	
  
100	
  
150	
  
200	
  
250	
  
-­‐0.0406	
  
-­‐0.0386	
  
-­‐0.0366	
  
-­‐0.0346	
  
-­‐0.0326	
  
-­‐0.0306	
  
-­‐0.0286	
  
-­‐0.0266	
  
-­‐0.0246	
  
-­‐0.0226	
  
-­‐0.0206	
  
-­‐0.0186	
  
-­‐0.0166	
  
-­‐0.0146	
  
-­‐0.0126	
  
-­‐0.0106	
  
-­‐0.0086	
  
-­‐0.0066	
  
-­‐0.0046	
  
-­‐0.0026	
  
-­‐0.0006	
  
0.0014	
  
0.0034	
  
0.0054	
  
0.0074	
  
0.0094	
  
0.0114	
  
0.0134	
  
0.0154	
  
0.0174	
  
0.0194	
  
0.0214	
  
0.0234	
  
0.0254	
  
0.0274	
  
0.0294	
  
0.0314	
  
0.0334	
  
0.0354	
  
0.0374	
  
0.0394	
  
0.0414	
  
0.0434	
  
Nb.	
  d'obs.	
  
Valeur	
  
Histogramme	
  pour	
  0.00111340206185	
  
  25	
  
Intermediary	
  results	
  for	
  a	
  30%	
  equity	
  allocation	
  a	
  non-­‐government	
  bonds	
  allocation	
  varying	
  
between	
  30%	
  and	
  40%	
  for	
  a	
  step	
  of	
  5%	
  on	
  the	
  catastrophe	
  bonds	
  allocation.	
  
	
   	
  
  26	
  
3	
  months	
  volatility	
  evolution	
  
	
  
	
  
	
   	
  
  27	
  
Bibliography	
  
"The	
  fundamentals	
  of	
  insurance-­‐linked	
  securities",	
  Swiss	
  Re,	
  2011	
  
"Insurance-­‐linked	
  securities	
  market	
  update	
  –	
  January	
  2015",	
  Swiss	
  Re,	
  2015	
  
"Pricing	
   in	
   the	
   primary	
   market	
   for	
   cat	
   bonds:	
   new	
   empirical	
   evidence",	
   Alexander	
   Braun	
  
edited	
  by	
  Hato	
  Schmeiser,	
  2014	
  
"Using	
   catastrophe-­‐linked	
   securities	
   to	
   diversify	
   insurance	
   risk:	
   a	
   financial	
   analysis	
   of	
   cat-­‐
bonds",	
  Loubergé,	
  Kellezi	
  and	
  Gilli,	
  1999	
  
"An	
  analysis	
  of	
  the	
  market	
  price	
  of	
  cat-­‐bonds",	
  Bodoff	
  &	
  Gan,	
  2009	
  
"Diversification	
   through	
   catastrophe	
   bonds:	
   lessons	
   from	
   the	
   subprime	
   financial	
   crisis",	
  
Carayannopoulos	
  &	
  Perez,	
  2013	
  
"Convergence	
   of	
   insurance	
   and	
   financial	
   markets:	
   hybrid	
   and	
   securitized	
   risk	
   transfer	
  
solutions",	
  Cummins	
  &	
  Weiss,	
  2008	
  
"A	
  simple	
  robust	
  model	
  for	
  cat-­‐bond	
  valuation",	
  Jarrow,	
  2010	
  
"Cat-­‐bonds	
  and	
  other	
  risk-­‐linked	
  securities:	
  state	
  of	
  the	
  market	
  and	
  recent	
  developments",	
  
Cummins,	
  2008	
  
"Analysis	
  and	
  optimization	
  of	
  a	
  portfolio	
  of	
  catastrophe	
  bonds",	
  Fredrik	
  Giertz,	
  	
  
"Cat-­‐bonds:	
   why	
   they	
   are	
   not	
   a	
   catastrophe	
   for	
   your	
   portfolio",	
   Dan	
   Singlement	
   for	
   BNP	
  
Paribas	
  IP	
  &	
  FFTW,	
  2014	
  
"Swiss	
   Re	
   Cat	
   Bond	
   Indices	
   Methodology,	
   effective:	
   August	
   1,	
   2014",	
   Swiss	
   Re	
   Capital	
  
Markets	
  
	
  
The	
  Swiss	
  Re	
  Group,	
  www.swissre.com	
  
Artemis.bm,	
  www.artemis.bm	
  
Swiss	
  Re	
  Capital	
  Markets,	
  
http://www.swissre.com/reinsurance/insurers/ils/Swiss_Re_Capital_Markets_Insurance-­‐
Linked_Securities.html	
  
	
  

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Mémoire

  • 1.   1     Majeure'15  Capital  Markets  and  International  Banking   Master  thesis  –  Neoma  BS  Rouen       Clément  Kubiak   Clement.kubiak.11@neoma-­‐bs.com     Supervisor:  Sami  Attaoui                   ARE  CATASTROPHE  BONDS  EFFICIENT  DIVERSIFICATION  SECURITIES?     An  empirical  study  of  a  portfolio  diversified  with  catastrophe  bonds  from  2002   to  2015  and  of  its  correlation  with  traditional  financial  markets                       Key  words:  reinsurance,  insurance-­‐linked  securities,  catastrophe  bonds,  diversification  
  • 2.   2   Abstract     The   insurance-­‐linked   securities   market   has   known   a   strong   development   for   the   past   decades.  2014  has  been  a  record  year  for  the  issuance  of  ILS  and  a  particular  type  of  this   securities,   the   catastrophe   bonds   have   started   to   attract   a   larger   range   of   institutional   investors,  and  some  asset  management  companies,  such  as  Schroder  with  its  GAIA  Cat  Bond,   are  now  efficiently  integrating  catastrophe  bonds  to  their  investment  strategy.  Furthermore,   the  previous  financial  and  banking  crisis  have  shown  the  strong  impact  of  systematic  risk  on   portfolios  and  investors  are  now  seeking  investments  offering  them  a  resilient  behaviour  in   crisis  context.  This  thesis  aims  to  highlight  the  possible  positive  impact  on  the  risk-­‐return   profile  of  a  portfolio  through  the  diversification  in  catastrophe  bonds.  Our  results  based  on   the   volatility,   returns,   Sharpe   ratio   and   Value   at   Risk   of   a   portfolio   diversified   with   catastrophe   bonds   against   a   reference   portfolio   highlight   a   positive   impact   of   the   catastrophe  bonds  on  the  Sharpe  ratio  and  the  return  over  the  studied  period,  however  the   volatility  and  the  Value  at  Risk  remains  at  similar  levels  for  both  portfolios.    
  • 3.   3   Summary     Introduction   4   Market  Evolution     Risk  management:  diversification   5     Emergence  of  alternative  risk  transfer   6   Catastrophe  bonds     Basic  of  catastrophe  bonds   7     Markets   10   Financial  mechanisms     Loss  mechanisms   13     Pricing   14     Correlation  and  sensitivity  to  traditional  markets   16   Empirical  study     Definition  of  the  studied  portfolios   18     Analysis  and  risk-­‐return  measurements   20   Conclusion   21   Appendixes   23   Bibliography   27  
  • 4.   4   I. Introduction     In  the  early  1990s,  severe  major  natural  catastrophes  such  as  the  Hurricane  Andrew   and  the  Northridge  Earthquake  created  a  lack  of  capacity  in  the  reinsurance  market,  since   then,   heavy   losses   have   become   a   source   of   concern   for   the   insurance   and   reinsurance   industries   because   the   potential   losses   from   natural   perils   seemed   to   outpace   the   (re)insurers'  capacity.  While  historically  the  government  was  providing  a  back  up  capacity  to   the   industry   in   case   of   difficulties   in   the   market   with   for   example   the   National   Flood   Insurance  Program  in  the  USA,  (re)insurers  started  to  develop  new  innovative  ways  to  hedge   their  excess  risk  and  to  finance  this  lack  of  capacity.  Geographic  diversification  was  not  an   efficient  enough,  not  all  the  regions  are  indeed  in  need  of  an  insurance  coverage  and  then   reinsurers   and   insurers   cannot   disseminate   their   risk   in   less   risky   regions   to   compensate.   Furthermore,   in   a   free-­‐market   it   is   not   possible   for   a   (re)insurance   company   to   cross-­‐ subsidize   its   business   lines.   To   face   this   issue,   insurer   and   reinsurers   innovated   in   risk   securitization  and  developed  alternative  methods  to  transfer  the  risk  emerging  from  natural   perils  to  a  third  party,  it  was  the  first  issuance  of  ILS,  the  insurance-­‐linked  securities.   Since  1996,  the  ILS  market  has  showed  a  resilient  development  worldwide.  While  the  market   was   initially   the   preserve   territory   of   insurance   and   reinsurance   companies,   the   development  of  ILS  allowed  governments  and  corporations  to  access  this  capital  market  tool   to   support   their   growth,   manage   their   capital   and   transfer   their   risk.   2014   saw   the   ILS   market   toped   new   records   with   a   total   of   $8.29bn   securities   newly   issued.   After   having   suffered  from  the  2008  crisis  with  four  years  of  contraction,  the  market  has  known  a  strong   growth  for  the  past  three  years  with  a  yearly  rate  of  growth  of  20%  to  a  record  of  $25bn   outstanding  securities  in  2015.  The  market's  demand  for  more  sophisticated  and  diversified   securities   has   supported   the   emergence   of   new   sponsors   and   new   coverage   in   the   ILS   market,  completing  the  market.   Meanwhile  on  the  traditional  markets,  the  dot-­‐com  bubble,  the  sub-­‐prime  crisis  followed  by   the  financial  crisis  and  the  euro  crisis  have  impacted  the  profits  of  investors  for  the  past   decades.  Investors  are  now  looking  for  new  ways  of  hedging  their  portfolios  from  the  market   shocks  and  for  resilient  assets  to  the  crisis.   Only   few   studies   have   been   made   on   the   use   of   ILS,   particularly   catastrophe   bonds,   to   diversify  a  portfolio.  Carayannopoulos  and  Perez  (2013)  focused  on  the  subprime  financial   crisis  to  prove  that  despite  the  peril  risk  exposure  of  catastrophe  bond  (while  a  corporate  
  • 5.   5   bond  is  exposed  to  the  credit  risk),  in  time  of  crisis  they  were  not  zero  beta  investments  and   not   immune   to   the   effect   of   the   recent   financial   crisis   but   represent   an   efficient   diversification  tool  for  investors  in  quiet  market  using  a  multivariable  GARCH  model  on  the   return  of  different  asset  classes.  However,  their  results  were  purely  quantitative  and  only   based   on   the   returns,   in   addition,   a   single   index   based   on   US   securities   was   used   to   represent  an  asset  class.  This  thesis  aims  to  study  the  behaviour  of  cat-­‐bonds  against  other   assets  by  comparing  the  return,  volatility,  value  at  risk  and  the  Sharpe  ratio  of  2  portfolios,   one   including   cat-­‐bonds   and   the   other   without   exposure   to   cat-­‐bonds.   The   time   period   studied  is  13  years,  from  January  2002  to  January  2015.     II. Market  evolution     a. Risk  management:  diversification   For  an  investor,  there  are  two  techniques  to  manage  its  risk:  hedging  its  positions   and/or   diversifying   its   portfolio   through   a   strategic   and   dynamic   capital   allocation.   Diversification  is  based  on  the  lack  of  a  tight  positive  relationship  among  the  assets'  return   and   on   the   theory   that   the   risk   of   an   asset   can   be   decomposed   in   two   parts,   each   representing  a  type  of  risk:  the  systematic  risk  and  the  specific  risk.  The  specific  risk  is  the   risk  specific  to  the  asset,  for  instance  for  a  bond  it  is  the  announcement  of  capital  loss  or  a   profit  warning  for  a  stock.  This  kind  of  risk  is  only  related  to  the  asset  itself  and  then  to  the   risk  only  supported  by  the  issuer.  Meanwhile,  the  systematic  risk  is  related  to  the  movement   of   the   market   as   a   whole,   it   is   then   the   impact   of   an   event   affecting   all   the   asset   class   because  of  for  example  a  revision  of  the  economic  forecasts  or  because  of  a  global  financial   crisis  as  seen  with  the  sub-­‐primes  in  2008  or  with  the  debt  crisis  in  Europe.     The  specific  risk  is  also  called  the  "diversifiable"  risk  since  it  is  possible  to  extremely   reduce  it  by  diversifying  its  portfolio  by  investing  in  different  securities  of  the  asset  class  or   by  varying  the  geographic  coverage  of  the  portfolio,  for  example  an  equity  portfolio  invested   in  more  than  30  different  stocks  has  a  specific  risk  considered  as  almost  zero;  whereas  the   systematic  risk  cannot  be  reduced  as  easily.    
  • 6.   6   Then,   a   question   remains   on   the   reduction   of   the   systematic   risk.   It   is   fair,   in   the   investor  point  of  view,  to  assume  that  investing  in  financials  products  reproducing  indexes  is   a  way  of  eliminating  the  specific  risk  since  indexes,  by  their  nature,  are  computed  in  a  way  of   reproducing   the   market   performance   of   a   given   industry   or   country   asset   class   while   moderating  the  impact  of  specific  risk.  Most  equity  indexes  are  for  instance  using  a  formula   to  moderate  the  impact  of  larger  capitalizations  on  the  index,  then  an  index  of  any  asset   class  can  be  considered  as  "specific  risk  free"  as  long  as  it  takes  in  consideration  more  than   20   or   30   securities.   Investors   should   then   find   a   way   of   decreasing   the   exposure   of   their   portfolios  to  the  systematic  risk.     b. Emergence  of  alternative  risk  transfer   During  the  1990s,  insurers  and  reinsurers  faced  capacity  issues  driving  them  to  look   for   new   way   to   transfer   the   risk   linked   to   their   business   to   a   third   party.   These   issues   supported  the  development  of  Alternative  Risk  Transfer,  known  as  ART.  ART  consists  in  using   alternative   ways   to   achieve   the   same   hedging   and   transfer   of   risk   from   a   (re)insurance   company  to  a  third  party,  this  enables  (re)insurers  to  receive  protection  against  some  risks   linked   to   their   (re)insurance   activities   by   transferring   it   to   the   capital   markets.   The   most   common  area  of  ART  includes  risk  securitization,  derivative  contracts  (weather  derivatives)   and  the  transformation  of  capital  market  risks  into  reinsurance  using  transformer  vehicle1 ;   some  other  methods  are  captive  insurance  companies  and  life  insurance  securitization.  This   strong   growth   of   ART   is   leading   in   the   short-­‐term   to   the   convergence   of   insurance   and   financial  markets,  thus  creating  a  new  risk  market.     The  emergence  of  alternative  risk  transfer  solutions  has  supported  the  growth  of  a   new  alternative  asset  class  within  the  insurance  market:  the  Insurance  Linked  Securities.  ILS   provide  to  (re)insurers  an  innovative  way  of  financing  their  capital  by  selling  their  capital  risk   as  any  other  assets  in  order  to  funds  claims  payments  arising  from  mega-­‐catastrophes  and   other   extreme   loss   events.   ILS   products   are   typically   sponsored   by   insurers   or   reinsurers,   governments  and  companies  who  see  in  ILS  a  way  to  transfer  their  insurance  risk  (its  capital   for   a   (re)insurance   company)   to   the   capital   markets   where   a   wide   range   of   institutional   investors  such  as  pension  funds,  hedge  funds  and  banks  are  now  including  this  products  in                                                                                                                   1  Artemis.bm  –  What  is  Alternative  Risk  Transfer  ?  
  • 7.   7   their  portfolios.  Most  known  ILS  products  are  catastrophe  bonds,  industry  loss  warranties   and   sidecars   and   usually   cover   natural   catastrophes   (windstorm,   typhoon,   earthquake),   man-­‐made  events  (aviation,  marine)  and  life  (re)insurance  (mortality,  life  insurance  policy   pools).       A   sidecar   in   the   reinsurance   industry   is   a   financial   technique   allowing   investors   to   benefit   from   the   return   of   a   defined   insurance   or   reinsurance   business   book   while   supporting  an  equivalent  or  proportional  part  of  the  risk.  Sidecars  have  been  mostly  joint-­‐ ventures   between   two   or   more   (re)insurers   but   they   are   now   becoming   an   simple   and   efficient  way  of  using  third  party  capital  in  the  underwriting  activities.  For  instance,  capital   provided  by  investors  will  be  used  to  pay  the  claims  on  the  books  and  they  receive  a  part  of   the  (re)insurance  premiums  to  take  this  risk.  Sidecars  are  fully-­‐collateralized  securities  and   the  collateral  is  totally  exposed  to  the  (re)insurance  risk  for  their  duration.     ILW,  also  known  as  Industry  loss  warranty  can  be  understood  as  a  derivative  contract   allowing  the  buyer  to  buy  a  coverage  against  a  pre-­‐defined  amount  of  losses  experienced  by   the  industry  from  a  specific  event.  ILW  are  set  up  with  a  limited  amount  the  buyer  could   receive  and  a  minimum  amount  of  industry  losses  as  a  trigger.  ILW  are  usually  written  by   reinsurers  or  hedge  funds  and  sometimes  have  specific  clauses  requesting  that  the  buyer   suffered  from  losses  to  receive  the  pay-­‐out.     III. Catastrophe  bonds     a. Basics  of  catastrophe  bonds   Cat-­‐bonds   are   the   most   used   type   of   ILS   and   probably   the   most   known   from   investors.  A  cat-­‐bond  is  a  fully  collateralized  security  paying  off  only  if  a  previously  defined   catastrophic   event   occurs   during   its   lifetime.   Although   the   cat-­‐bonds   markets   is   small   comparing  to  the  larger  non-­‐life  (re)insurance  market,  its  significant  size  within  the  property   catastrophe  market  is  expanding  for  the  last  two  decades.   The  most-­‐used  structure  used  to  securitize  cat-­‐bond  is  the  same  as  the  one  used  for  classic   ABS   transactions   that   are   executed   by   banks   for   loans,   mortgages   and   leases.   Firstly,   a   special  purpose  vehicle  (SPV,  or  SPRV)  is  created  and  located  in  a  low-­‐tax  country,  usually  
  • 8.   8   Ireland  for  Europe  or  in  Bermuda,  then  the  SPV  issues  bonds  to  investors  and  receive  cash   from  them.  The  cash  is  invested  by  the  SPV  through  a  trust  account  in  safe  and  short-­‐term   securities.  If  the  event  occurs  then  the  call  option  held  by  the  (re)insurer  on  the  proceeds  is   triggered  to  help  the  (re)insurer  to  pay  claims  from  the  event.  If  there  is  no  trigger  activated   during  the  life  of  the  bond,  the  principal  is  returned  to  investors  at  maturity.  The  use  of  a   SPV  is  beneficial  for  both  issuers  and  investors.  It  indeed  allows  the  issuers  to  have  tax  and   accounting  benefits  linked  to  traditional  reinsurance2  while  the  investors  are  isolated  from   the  operational  and  solvency  risk  of  the  (re)insurer.     The  following  schema  summarize  the  structure  of  a  "standard"  cat-­‐bonda:       However,  the  occurrence  of  a  catastrophe  is  not  enough  to  affect  the  contract.  For   every   issued   cat-­‐bond,   various   parameters   impacting   the   contract   are   defined;   the   most   obvious  are  the  geographic  area  and  the  covered  peril(s).  The  following  table  highlights  the   most  common  perils  according  to  their  geographic  coverage:   Perils:   Geographic  areas:   Storms   Northern  Europe     Florida   Hurricanes    US  –  East  Cost   Floods   Australia     Southern  Asia   Earthquake   Japan     US  –  West  Cost     Mexico                                                                                                                     2  Cat-­‐bonds  have  lower  corporate  tax  costs  than  financing  through  equity  and  are  less  risky   in  terms  of  potential  future  degradations  of  (re)insurer  financial  ratings  and  capital  structure   than  financing  through  subordinated  debt,  Harrington  and  Niehaus  (2003)    
  • 9.   9   This   table   is   not   exhaustive,   covered   risks   and/or   perils   can   in   addition   include   volcanic   eruption,  meteorite  impact,  wildfire,  extreme  mortality  and  extreme  lottery  winnings;  there   are   indeed   numerous   perils   with   no   link   to   the   classical   mean   of   the   words   "natural   catastrophe".     Another  important  parameter  is  the  trigger  mechanism  on  which  the  investor  loss  is   based  on.  This  loss  is  indeed  not  necessarily  based  on  the  sponsor's  loss  and  there  are  many   trigger  mechanism  that  can  be  use  of  which  we  can  highlight  4  main  types.  The  simplest  one   to  understand  is  the  indemnity  for  which  the  trigger  is  the  actual  loss  of  the  issuer  due  to  the   event   defined   with   respect   to   the   parameters   of   the   bond   and   behaves   like   traditional   catastrophe  reinsurance,  for  example  if  the  bond  is  $20m  in  excess  of  $100m  and  the  claims   are  more  than  $100m,  then  the  bond  is  triggered,  the  bond  can  also  simply  be  used  to  cover   the  claims  from  the  first  claims.  This  trigger  is  advantageous  for  the  issuer  since  its  claims   payments  can  be  fully  covered  but  is  difficult  to  mitigate  and  evaluate  the  expected  losses   for  the  investor.   But  instead  of  using  the  actual  claims,  the  trigger  can  be  a  modelled  losses  threshold.  An   external   agent   run   through   a   modelling   software   the   impact   of   a   catastrophic   event   to   define  an  exposure,  then  if  the  event  occurs,  the  actual  event's  parameters  are  used  in  the   model  to  determine  if  the  modelled  losses  are  above  threshold,  in  this  case  the  (re)insurer   has  the  right  to  call  on  the  bond.     An  alternative  to  the  indemnity  trigger  is  the  parametric  trigger,  instead  of  basing  the  trigger   on  the  claims  or  on  the  losses,  an  objective  parameter,  relative  to  the  natural  catastrophe,  is   defined.   If   the   actual   value   of   the   parameter   during   the   catastrophe   is   greater   than   the   reference  parameter,  for  example  it  can  be  the  wind  speed  for  a  windstorm  covering  cat-­‐ bond,  the  bond  is  triggered.  This  trigger  insures  a  maximum  transparency  for  the  investor   and  allows  the  issuer  to  call  on  the  bond  quickly  after  the  payable  event.   A  last  common  trigger  is  the  trigger  indexed  on  the  industry  losses,  the  trigger  is  based  on   the  cumulated  losses  of  a  defined  insurers  and  reinsurers  basket.  The  trigger  can  be  the  sum   of   the   loss,   or   an   index   calculated   on   the   estimated   losses.   Because   of   the   different   (re)insurers'   losses   included,   this   type   of   trigger   is   more   transparent   that   the   indemnity   parameter  which  is  based  on  a  single  (re)insurer  claims.    
  • 10.   10   Below   are   two   examples   of   recently   issued   cat-­‐bonds   with   different   covered   perils   and   trigger  types:   Everglades  Re  II  Ltd.  Serie  2015-­‐1,  source  Artemis.bm  deal  directory   Issuer  /  SPV:  Everglades  Re  II  Ltd.  (Series  2015-­‐1)   Cedent  /  Sponsor:  Citizens  Property  Insurance   Placement  /  structuring  agent/s:  Citigroup  is  sole  structuring  agent  and  bookrunner.  BofA  Merrill   Lynch  is  joint  bookrunner.   Risk  modelling  /  calculation  agents  etc:  AIR  Worldwide   Risks  /  Perils  covered:  Florida  named  storms   Size:  $300m   Trigger  type:  Indemnity   Ratings:  S&P:  Class  A  -­‐  'BB(sf)'   Date  of  issue:  May  2015   Atlas  IX  Capital  Limited  Series  2015-­‐1,  source  Artemis.bm  deal  directory   Issuer  /  SPV:  Atlas  IX  Capital  Limited  (Series  2015-­‐1)   Cedent  /  Sponsor:  SCOR  Global  P&C  SE   Placement  /  structuring  agent/s:  Aon  Benfield  Securities  is  sole  structuring  agent  and  bookrunner   Risk  modelling  /  calculation  agents  etc:  AIR  Worldwide   Risks  /  Perils  covered:  U.S.  named  storm,  U.S.  and  Canada  earthquake   Size:  $150m   Trigger  type:  Industry  loss  index   Ratings:  -­‐   Date  of  issue:  Feb  2015     b. Markets   Cat-­‐bonds  are  less  known  by  investors  than  traditional  asset  classes  and  even  if  some   institutional  investors  have  started  to  use  them  either  like  any  other  traditional  securities  or   by   creating   dedicated   funds,   providing   investors   and   portfolio   managers   with   a   better   understanding  of  these  products,  the  market  is  not  as  developed  as  for  traditional  assets.   The   cat-­‐bonds   market   is   indeed   relatively   small   comparing   to   the   traditional   ones,   for   instance   at   the   end   of   July   2014,   the   cat-­‐bonds   markets   was   representing   only   $25bn   of  
  • 11.   11   outstanding  securities  while  the  US  High  Yield  and  US  Bank  loan  combined  were  at  the  same   time  corresponding  to  roughly  $12,000bn  of  outstanding  securities3 .       The  cat-­‐bond  primary  market  shares  some  characteristics  with  the  corporate  bond   primary  market.  The  main  difference  is  that  at  the  issuance  of  a  new  catastrophe  bond,  the   goal   is   for   the   sponsor   to   get   capital   to   cover   its   possible   claims   payments   instead   of   strengthening   its   capital   to   support   its   business   or   fulfil   with   regulatory   obligations.   The   coupon   is   typically   floating   and   obtained   by   adding   a   spread   corresponding   to   the   risk   premium  to  a  reference  rate  such  as  the  LIBOR.  The  pricing  depends  on  various  variables  and   is  not  part  of  the  aim  of  this  study,  then  we  will  only  lightly  aboard  it  later  in  this  paper  as  for   the  loss  mechanism.  Overall,  a  catastrophe  bond  is  issued  with  the  following  specifics4 :   Maturity:  typically  between  3  and  4  years    Type  of  security:  floating  rate    Rating:  usually  B  or  BB  rated  by  one  of  the  largest  worldwide  rating  agency  such  as   S&P   Loss  calculation:  computed  by  a  independent  firm  at  the  issuance  of  the  bond   While  various  perils  and  risks  are  covered,  the  market  can  be  split  in  three  main  types   of  perils;  10%  are  covering  earthquakes  in  California  only  and  25%  of  issued  cat-­‐bonds  cover   US   Hurricane/Wind,   then   40%   are   multi-­‐peril   and   the   remaining   25%   cover   European                                                                                                                   3  Dan  Singleman  for  BNP  Paribas  IP  FFTW,  "Cat  bonds:  why  they  are  not  a  catastrophe  for   your  portfolio",  09/2014   4 Source:  Swiss  Re,  2011  
  • 12.   12   windstorms,   earthquakes   outside   the   US   (Mexico,   Japan)   and   extreme   mortality.     After   issuance,   the   cat-­‐bonds   secondary   market   is   quite   similar   to   the   corporate   bonds  secondary  market.  Most  cat-­‐bonds  are  publicly  listed,  usually  at  the  Bermuda  Stock   Exchange  or  at  the  Cayman  Islands  Stock  Exchange,  but  most  of  the  transactions  are  over  the   counter  between  the  issuance  and  the  maturity.  The  price  of  a  cat-­‐bond  on  the  secondary   market  is  then  variable  and  comparable  to  the  one  of  a  traditional  coupon-­‐bearing  corporate   bond  with  the  difference  that  the  risk  is  a  catastrophe  risk  and  not  a  credit  risk.  The  price  is,   in  addition  of  the  demand/supply  law,  impacted  by  other  factors  such  as  the  period  of  the   year  and  the  occurrence  of  catastrophic  event  since  the  issuance.  Hurricanes  seasons  in  the   Atlantic  Ocean  are  indeed  known  to  be  most  likely  to  happen  between  August  and  October5 ,   then   the   knowledge   of   a   benign   hurricanes   season   at   the   end   of   September   should   be   implicitly  included  in  the  price  of  the  bond  since  at  this  date,  the  occurrence  of  a  hurricane   triggering  the  bond  is  now  less  likely.  This  is  the  same  reasoning  for  the  potential  loss  of   principal  resulting  from  a  triggering  event  since  there  is  usually  a  delay  between  an  event   and  the  moment  when  the  trigger  is  activated  (this  is  due  to  the  various  trigger  and  the  need   to  sometimes  collect  numerous  data  before  deciding  to  call  on  the  bond).  Investors  when   valuing  the  bond  must  consider  these  characteristics,  specific  to  catastrophe  bonds.     The   liquidity   on   the   cat-­‐bonds   secondary   market   is   cyclical,   due   to   the   seasonal   activity  for  certain  perils  such  as  hurricanes,  windstorms  and  typhoons.  While  this  type  of   security  is  not  available  for  retail  investors,  institutional  ones  can  easily  found  liquidity  to   exit  their  positions  or  reduce  their  risks  exposure,  for  instance  the  secondary  trading  volume   at  Swiss  Re  Capital  Markets  was  above  $1bn  in  2010  and  growing,  insuring  a  relatively  liquid   market.                                                                                                                   5  "Analysis  and  Optimization  of  a  Portfolio  of  Catastrophe  Bonds",  Fredrik  Giertz,  KTH   40%   25%   10%   25%   Perils  repar77on  -­‐  Source:  Swiss  Re,  2011   Mulo-­‐perils   US  Hurricanes/Winds   California  Earthquakes   Others  
  • 13.   13   IV. Financial  characteristics     a. Loss  mechanisms   The  pricing  of  a  cat-­‐bond,  either  at  issuance  or  on  the  secondary  market  is,  like  any   other  bond  based  on  its  underlying  risk.  However,  an  investor  must  not  analyse  default  risk   of   the   sponsor   but   the   risk   exposure   including   the   expected   loss   estimates   and   the   probability  of  various  loss  scenarios,  meaning  a  precise  evaluation  of  the  underlying  natural   catastrophe  risk  covered  by  the  bond.  This  evaluation  is  made  by  a  specialized  independent   risk-­‐consulting  firm,  the  most  known  are  AIR  Worldwide  Corporation,  EQECAT.  Inc.  or  Risk   Management  Solutions.  An  investor  with  an  actuarial  or  scientific  background  might  be  able   to   estimate   these   probabilities   but   it   will   face   the   same   difficulties   that   the   third-­‐party   consulting-­‐risk   companies.   The   frequency   of   significant   catastrophic   events   is   usually   between   decades   and   centuries6  (the   loss   scenario   for   insurers   and   reinsurers   is   indeed   based  on  a  one  over  200  years  significant  event  under  Solvency  2  rules  for  example)  and   there  is  typically  no  track  record  of  representative  claims  for  a  given  portfolio  of  catastrophe   risks.  In  addition,  the  quality  of  the  insured  objects  and  the  geographical  distribution  add   difficulties  to  properly  evaluate  the  risks.       However   it   is   possible   to   estimate   the   risk   relative   to   a   natural   catastrophe:   a   portfolio   of   risk   is   used   to   simulate   "an   artificial   loss   experience" 7  by   applying   a   representative  set  of  natural  perils  that  could  affect  the  given  portfolio.  With  this  model,  it  is   possible  to  estimate  the  expected  loss  for  cat-­‐bonds.  It  includes  four  elements:   -­‐ Hazard:  this  is  the  expected  frequency  of  events  within  a  particular  region  and  is   based  on  a  historical  track  record  of  past  events  and  on  scientific  data.  Models   may   be   as   well   consider   timing   since   for   example   atmospheric   perils   are   more   likely  to  happen  due  to  climate  changes.   -­‐ Vulnerability  of  the  insured  properties:  this  is  the  degree  of  destruction  sustained   by  the  insured  object.  The  quantification  of  such  parameter  is  based  on  past  perils   losses.                                                                                                                   6  "The  fundamentals  of  insurance-­‐linked  securities",  Swiss  Re   7  "The  fundamentals  of  insurance-­‐linked  securities",  Swiss  Re    
  • 14.   14   -­‐ Distribution  of  the  insured  values:  insured  values  are  distributed  with  respect  to   geographical  zones  and  risk  specifications  to  assess  which  insured  value  might  be   impacted  by  a  given  peril.   -­‐ Insurance  conditions:  these  are  the  conditions  relative  to  the  insurance  contract   such  as  for  examples  claims  limits  or  deductibles  (if  the  losses  are  less  than  the   applicable  deductible  the  insurance  payments  would  be  significantly  reduced).     Some  other  factors  can  affect  the  loss  estimates  such  as  the  trigger,  the  cost  of  building  that   might  rise  following  the  event.  Overall  the  set  up  of  such  simulation  model  needs  a  large   variety   of   parameters   and   is   complex.   The   result   of   the   simulation   is   defined   as   a   loss   frequency  or  as  an  exceedance  probability  curve  as  displayed  above.     b. Pricing   As  mentioned  before,  cat-­‐bonds  are  floating  rate  securities;  the  sponsor  is  then  as  for   traditional   bonds   paying   a   spread   over   a   reference   rate   to   its   investors.   In   theory,   the   sources   of   default   are   totally   independent   for   a   corporate   and   a   catastrophe   bond   of   equivalent  rating  since  the  securitization  structure  through  a  SPV  and  the  collateral  account   insure  that  investors  in  cat-­‐bonds  are  not  impacted  in  case  of  default  from  the  (re)insurer.   Investors  should  then  be  willing  to  pay  a  premium  to  benefit  the  diversification  of  their  risk   and  the  expected  return  should  be  lower  than  for  corporate  bonds  (at  equivalent  ratings).  
  • 15.   15   However  the  following  graph8  shows  that  the  average  yield  of  BB-­‐rated  corporate  bonds  is   largely  lower  than  the  one  of  catastrophe  bonds.     This  market  behaviour  can  be  explained  by  three  factors:  (a)  catastrophe  bonds  are  not   known  enough  and  most  investors  remain  unfamiliar  with  their  characteristics  and  theirs   dynamics;  (b)  the  larger  managers  focused  on  the  sector  rather  invest  in  other  ILS  because  of   the  smaller  size  of  the  cat-­‐bonds  market  and  (c)  cat-­‐bonds  are  non-­‐proportional  reinsurance   securities  (once  the  bond  is  triggered,  the  entire  notional  will  quickly  be  lost)     The   pricing   of   catastrophe   bonds   is   still   subject   to   theories,   some   value   them   for   example  using  a  traditional  risk  securitization  approach  by  considering  the  cat-­‐bond  as  a  CDS   while  others  rather  consider  an  "index"  approach  and  each  payment  as  a  caplet  to  value  the   bond.   Jarrow   (2010)   provides   a   formula   consistent   with   any   arbitrage-­‐free   model   for   the   evolution   of   the   LIBOR   term   structure   of   interest   rates.   This   formula   is   based   on   the   probability  of  the  occurrence  of  the  covered  catastrophic  peril  and  the  expected  loss  rate  in   case  of  occurrence.  According  to  Jarrow,  the  value  of  a  cat  bond  is  equal  to  (a)  the  value  of   the  next  coupon  payment  times  the  probability  of  no  event,  (b)  added  to  the  recovery  on  the   LIBOR  floating  rate  note  times  the  probability  of  the  loss  happening  before  the  next  coupon   payment,  (c)  plus  the  value  of  a  LIBOR  floating  rate  note  received  at  the  next  payment  date   times  the  probability  of  no  events,  (d)  less  the  expected  loss  after  the  next  coupon  payment,   multiplied  by  the  probability  of  the  loss  occurring  after  the  next  payment  finally  added  to  the   (e)  expected  fixed  payments  after  the  next  coupon  payment  times  the  probability  that  it  is                                                                                                                   8  Source:  Swiss  Re  Capital  Markets,  "The  fundamentals  of  insurance-­‐linked  securities"  
  • 16.   16   received  with  the  probabilities  being  summed  across  all  times.  Overall,  the  probability  of  the   occurrence  of  the  natural  peril  and  the  expected  losses  are  the  key  factors  when  valuing  a   cat-­‐bond.     c. Correlation  and  sensitivity  to  traditional  markets   In  theory  cat-­‐bonds  represent  for  investors  a  way  of  gaining  a  return  uncorrelated  to   macroeconomic  data,  political  environment  and  business  activity  that  are  usually  risk  factors   for  traditional  corporate  bonds.  The  below  graph  show  the  strong  resilience  of  the  cat-­‐bonds   market  during  both  the  subprime  crisis  and  later  the  Eurozone  debt  crisis  against  equities,   sovereign  bonds  and  corporate  bonds.     However   it   is   wrong   to   consider   cat-­‐bonds   as   totally   uncorrelated   from   the   traditional   economy  and  financial  assets.  As  we  said  before,  for  an  equivalent  rating,  a  corporate  bond   and  a  catastrophe  bond  should  have  independent  return  and  should  be  uncorrelated.  While   our  computed  correlation  coefficient  for  the  past  13  years  between  cat  bonds  and  corporate   bonds  returns  is  relatively  low  with  a  value  of  0.16  for  the  Dow  Jones  Corporate  Bond  Total   Return  index  relative  to  the  Swiss  Re  BB  Rated  Cat  Bond  Total  Return  index;  the  graph  below   shows   that   the   moving   correlation   coefficient   based   on   the   weekly   return   of   the   last   6   50   100   150   200   250   300   Swiss  Re  Global  Cat  Bond  Total  Return     S&P  Total  Return     Euro  STOXX  600   Merrill  Lynch  10-­‐year  U.S.  Treasury  Futures  Total  Return   S&P  Eurozone  Sovereign  Bond  Index  Total  Return   Barclays  global  corp  total  return  hedged  USD   Dow  Jones  Corporate  Bond  Total  Return  
  • 17.   17   months  can  go  up  to  more  than  0.50.  Furthermore,  we  can  highlight  that  the  correlation  was   particularly  high  during  the  2008  financial  crisis.  This  result  is  in  line  with  the  previous  study   of   Carayannopoulos   and   Perez   (2013)   that   stated   that   catastrophe   bonds   are   low   beta   securities  only  in  non-­‐crisis  period9 .     This  correlation  can  be  explained  by  the  structure  itself  of  the  bond,  notably  because  of  the   trust  account  and  of  the  assets  used  as  a  collateral  in  this  account.  A  simple  way  to  approach   this  correlation  is  to  remember  that  cat-­‐bonds  are  competing  with  corporate  bonds,  thus   their  floating  rate  is  based  on  the  same  reference  rate,  this  and  the  collateral  assets  make   two  direct  links  or  correlation  factors  to  the  other  class  of  assets.     Furthermore,  the  investors  must  know  that  the  duration  of  a  cat-­‐bond  is  larger  than   the  duration  of  a  similar  straight  bond10 ,  creating  a  positive  correlation  from  the  common   sensitivity  to  interest  rates  changes  for  catastrophe  and  corporate  bonds.                                                                                                                         9  "Diversification  through  Catastrophe  Bonds:  Lessons  from  the  Subprime  Financial  Crisis,   2013,  Carayannopoulos  and  Perez   10  "Using  Catastrophe-­‐Linked  Securities  to  Diversify  Insurance  Risk:  A  Financial  Analysis  of  Cat   Bonds",  1999,  Loubergé,  Kellizi  &  Gilli   -­‐0.60         -­‐0.40         -­‐0.20          -­‐              0.20          0.40          0.60          0.80         CoefWicient  of  correlation  between  Dow  Jones  Corporate  Bonds  Total  Return  and  Swiss  Re   BB  Rated  Cat  Bonds  Total  Return  
  • 18.   18   V. Empirical  study     In  this  study,  we  neglect  the  specific  risk.  Indexes  are  used  to  highlight  the  systematic   risk   of   each   asset   class   defined   here   as   equities,   sovereign   bonds,   corporate   bonds   and   catastrophe   bonds   and   cover   a   wide   range   of   geographic   areas,   industries,   ratings,   nominated   currencies,   catastrophic   events.   However   it   is   important   to   notice   that   all   of   these  indexes  are  said  to  be  "total  return",  then  they  include  all  the  potential  gains  for  the   investors  including  dividends  and  coupons  payments  in  addition  to  the  price  evolution  of  the   security.     The  catastrophe  bonds  market  is  small  relatively  to  more  classic  and  better-­‐known   assets  and  there  are  only  five  indexes  tracking  the  performance  of  these  financial  products.   The  indexes  used  in  this  thesis  are  all  designed  and  computed  by  Swiss  Re  Capital  Markets,   the  company  launched  the  Swiss  Re  Cat  Bond  Indices  suite  in  2007  as  the  first  total  return   indexes  provided  to  the  industry  of  reinsurance.  Furthermore,  Swiss  Re  Capital  Markets  has   retroactively  computed  the  indexes  until  2002,  leaving  a  covered  period  of  more  than  13   years  from  January  2002  to  today.    For  each  of  these  cat-­‐bonds  indexes,  it  tracks  the  coupon   return,   representing   the   accrued   spread   plus   collateral   return   and   the   price   return   measuring  the  movement  of  secondary  bid  as  provided  by  Swiss  Re  Capital  Markets  on  a   weekly-­‐basis.11       This  study  focuses  on  a  13  years  time  period,  from  the  first  Friday  of  January  2002  to   the   second   Friday   of   January   2015   (catastrophe   bonds   indices   provided   by   Swiss   Re   are   computed   on   a   weekly   basis).   This   time   interval   allows   us   to   study   the   behaviour   of   catastrophe  bonds  during  economic  stability,  global  crisis  and  recovery  times.  The  number  of   observed  values  for  each  index  is  679,  providing  678  observations  of  weekly  returns.  The  aim   of  this  study  is  to  provide  empirical  results  and  conclusions  on  the  possible  efficiency  of  cat-­‐ bonds  as  a  diversification  tool,  thus  all  the  results  that  will  be  discussed  below  are  based  on   historical  data  only  and  no  modelled  or  forecasted  data  have  been  used.                                                                                                                     11  Swiss  Re  Capital  Markets  Methodology  for  more  detailed  information,  please  refer  to  the   appendixes  
  • 19.   19   The  aim  of  this  thesis  is  to  highlight  the  potential  benefits  for  the  investor  of  adding  cat-­‐ bonds  to  its  portfolio,  thus  the  chosen  indexes  to  represent  the  different  asset  classes  are   strictly  the  same  for  the  two  studied  portfolio,  only  the  allocation  is  varying.     The  descriptive  statistics  of  the  two  cat  bonds  indexes  can  be  found  in  the  appendixes.     a. Definition  of  the  two  portfolios   Both   portfolios   have   the   same   initial   amount   of   capital,   which   for   simplification   reason,  is  assumed  to  be  equal  to  1  or  100%.  Each  portfolio  has  its  capital  allocated  between   listed  stocks,  sovereign  bonds,  corporate  bonds  and  cat-­‐bonds.  The  allocated  proportions  for   equity  and  government  bonds  are  the  same  for  both  portfolios  and  since  the  asset  that  has   the   most   of   common   characteristics   with   a   cat-­‐bond   is   a   corporate   bond,   the   only   two   differences  between  the  two  studied  portfolios  are  the  proportions  of  capital  allocated  to   the  corporate  bonds  and  to  the  catastrophe  bonds.  The  indexes  used  in  this  thesis  are  the   following   -­‐ Equity:   o CAC  40   o FOOTSIE  100   o DAX   o S&P  Total  Return   o NASDAQ  100   o EURO  STOXX  600   -­‐ Sovereign  bonds:   o Merrill  Lynch  10-­‐y  US  Treasury  Futures  Total  Return   o JP  Morgan  Global  Government  Bond  Index  Hedged  in  USD  Ex  US  1-­‐y  to     10-­‐y  Maturity   o S&P  Eurozone  Sovereign  Bond  Index  Total  Return   o Barclays  EuroAgg  Treasury  Total  Return  Index  Value  Unhedged  EUR   -­‐ Corporate  bonds:   o The  BofA  Merrill  Lynch  1-­‐y  to  5-­‐y  US  Corporate  Index   o Dow  Jones  Corporate  Bond  Total  Return  Index   o Barclays  Global  Corp  Total  Return  Hedged  USD   -­‐ Catastrophe  bonds:  
  • 20.   20   o Swiss  Re  BB  Rated  Cat  Bond  Total  Return   o Swiss  Re  Global  Cat  Bond  Total  Return   All  values  have  been  downloaded  from  Bloomberg  databases  being  already  provided  as  USD   denominated   to   avoid   potential   interpretation   issues   arising   from   the   currency   price   variations  between  EUR  and  USD.     Since  the  investment  scenario  in  this  study  is  based  on  a  diversification  strategy,  the   capital  is  firstly  allocated  between  equities,  government  bonds  and  non-­‐government  bonds,   and  then  the  sub-­‐allocation  is  made  between  corporate  bonds  and  catastrophe  bonds  within   the  allocated  capital  for  non-­‐government  bonds.  The  allocation  is  capped  at  40%  and  floored   at  30%  to  remain  within  the  diversification  strategy  principle.  For  the  reference  portfolio,  the   sub-­‐allocation   is   always   100%   for   corporate   bonds   (between   30%   and   40%   of   the   total   allocated   capital)   and   variable   between   corporate   and   catastrophe   bonds   for   the   test   portfolio.   For   the   different   allocation,   we   highlight   the   following   parameters   described   below.   We   then   simulate   the   two   portfolios   for   the   different   possible   allocation   combinations.     b. Analysis  and  risk-­‐return  measurements   To  highlight  the  potential  benefit  of  a  portfolio  diversification  through  the  investment   in  catastrophe  bonds,  we  will  study  returns  and  risk  indicators  for  the  studied  period:   -­‐ The  historical  average  return  based  on  the  last  3  months  calculated  adding  the  last  13   weekly  return  values  without  any  weight  and  dividing  the  sum  by  13.   -­‐ The  historical  average  volatility  based  on  the  last  3  months.  The  volatility  is  computed   using   the   traditional   mean-­‐centred   formula   over   a   3   months   time   period   representing  an  interval  of  13  observations  as  below:   𝜎 = 1 13 (𝑟! − 𝑟  ) !" !!!     Where   𝑟  is  the  mean  return  of  the  portfolio  over  the  last  13  weeks  and   𝑟!  the  weekly     return   for   the   week   ending   i.   The   historical   average   is   calculated   adding   the   13     volatility  values  without  any  weight  and  dividing  the  sum  by  13.  
  • 21.   21   -­‐ The  historical  Value  at  Risk  (VaR)  within  a  99%  confidence  interval.  The  VaR  in  this   study  is  calculated  by  taking  the  second  worst  price  variation  on  a  100  previous  days   time  interval.   -­‐ The  yearly  Sharpe  ratio  calculated  on  the  yearly  performance  of  the  portfolio,  using   the  following  formula:   𝑆ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑝𝑒  𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜  𝑓𝑜𝑟  𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟  𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔  𝑖 =   𝑟!"#$%"&'" ! −   𝑟!"#$!!"## ! 𝜎!"#$%"&'" !   Where  the  risk-­‐free  return  is  the  yearly  return  of  the  sovereign  bond  index  chosen  in   the  two  portfolios.  This  is  not  the  traditional  definition  of  a  risk-­‐free  return  but  the   aim  of  this  study  is  to  determine  the  delivered  potential  excess  return  thanks  to  the   investment  in  cat-­‐bonds  and  the  weights  of  governments  bonds  being  the  same  for   the  two  portfolio  we  can  assume  than  the  risk  free  return  is  the  return  of  the  chosen   sovereign  bonds  index.     VI. Conclusion     The  results  of  the  analysis  of  the  two  portfolios  are  conclusive.  Overall  the  portfolio   diversified   with   catastrophe   bonds   performed   better   by   more   than   10%   than   the   one   without  cat-­‐bonds  on  the  13  years  period,  representing  an  outperformance  of  0.45%  on  a   mean   yearly   basis.   However,   investing   in   cat-­‐bonds   does   not   provide   an   efficient   way   to   avoid  volatility,  there  is  indeed  no  difference  between  the  two  portfolios  on  a  mean  yearly   basis.  The  average  Sharpe  ratio  for  the  total  studied  period  is  always  higher  for  the  portfolio   including  cat-­‐bonds  of  0.55.  Diversification  through  catastrophe  bonds  is  then  not  reducing   the   risk   but   is   nevertheless   more   remunerating   the   investor   for   this   risk.   The   investor   is   indeed  receiving  a  higher  return  for  an  equivalent  risk.  The  value  at  risk  at  100  days  at  99%   confidence  interval  is  slightly  reduced  thanks  to  the  cat-­‐bonds  but  not  in  term  of  level  of   losses;  both  portfolios  experienced  equivalent  levels  of  VaR(99%,  100  days),  but  the  portfolio   including  cat-­‐bonds  came  back  to  lower  level  in  a  shorter  time  than  the  reference  portfolio.   Furthermore,  during  the  banking  and  financial  crisis  the  volatility  of  the  portfolio  containing   cat-­‐bonds  was  more  resilient  to  the  market  shocks,  highlighting  a  average  3-­‐months  volatility   around   1%   lower   than   the   reference   portfolio.   In   addition,   the   geographic   diversification   within  the  traditional  asset  classes  has  an  additional  positive  impact  on  the  Sharpe  ratio,  for  
  • 22.   22   instance,  the  simulation  using  the  CAC40  index  provided  significant  lower  Sharpe  ratio  than   the  EURO  STOXX  600.     Catastrophe  bonds  market  has  been  growing  for  decades,  while  it  is  still  not  available   for   retail   or   individual   investors,   it   keeps   on   attracting   more   and   more   institutional   investment   companies.   The   market   is   relatively   liquid   and   lightly   correlated   to   traditional   markets   in   "normal"   times,   this,   linked   to   the   convergence   of   financial   markets   with   reinsurance  industry  supports  the  expansion  of  the  catastrophe  bonds  market.  In  addition,   the  strong  diversification  bought  by  cat-­‐bonds  thanks  to  both  their  various  geographic  and   perils  coverage  make  them  an  efficient  diversification  tools  for  investors,  however  the  lack  of   consensus  on  a  valuation  formula  and  the  complexity  of  estimated  losses  probability  are  still   barriers  to  a  larger  use  of  this  ILS.      
  • 23.   23   Appendixes     Swiss  Re  Global  Cat  Bonds  Indice,  99%  confidence  interval   Nombre   678   Coefficient  de  dissymétrie   -­‐1.2930   Moyenne   0.0016   Erreur  type  sur  le  coefficient  de  dissymétrie   0.0937   Moyenne  LCL   0.0012   Coefficient  d'aplatissement   41.4148   Moyenne  UCL   0.0019   Erreur  type  de  l'aplatissement   0.1866   Variance   0.0000   Dissymétrie  alternative  (de  Fisher)   -­‐1.2959   Déviation  standard   0.0037   Aplatissement  alternatif  (de  Fisher)   38.7085   Erreur  type  (de  la  moyenne)   0.0001   Coefficient  de  variation   2.3819   Minimum   -­‐ 0.0319   Déviation  moyenne   0.0017   Maximum   0.0402   Moment  d'ordre  2   0.0000   Intervalle   0.0721   Moment  d'ordre  3   0.0000   Somme   1.0594   Moment  d'ordre  4   0.0000   Somme  des  erreurs  types   0.0969   Médiane   0.0015   Total  des  sommes  des  carrés   0.0110   Erreur  médiane   0.0000   Somme  des  carrés  ajustée   0.0094   Centile  25%  (Q1)   0.0009   Moyenne  géométrique   0.0034   Centile  75%  (Q2)   0.0026   Moyenne  harmonique   0.0015   IQR   0.0018   Mode   #N/A   MAD   0.0008         0   50   100   150   200   -­‐0.0324   -­‐0.03   -­‐0.0276   -­‐0.0252   -­‐0.0228   -­‐0.0204   -­‐0.018   -­‐0.0156   -­‐0.0132   -­‐0.0108   -­‐0.0084   -­‐0.006   -­‐0.0036   -­‐0.0012   0.0012   0.0036   0.006   0.0084   0.0108   0.0132   0.0156   0.018   0.0204   0.0228   0.0252   0.0276   0.03   0.0324   0.0348   0.0372   0.0396   Nb.  d'obs.   Valeur  
  • 24.   24   Swiss  Re  BB  Rated  Cat  Bonds  Indice,  99%  confidence  interval   Nombre   678   Coefficient  de  dissymétrie   -­‐2.2956   Moyenne   0.0013   Erreur  type  sur  le  coefficient  de  dissymétrie   0.0937   Moyenne  LCL   0.0009   Coefficient  d'aplatissement   47.0138   Moyenne  UCL   0.0017   Erreur  type  de  l'aplatissement   0.1866   Variance   0.0000   Dissymétrie  alternative  (de  Fisher)   -­‐2.3007   Déviation  standard   0.0042   Aplatissement  alternatif  (de  Fisher)   44.3490   Erreur  type  (de  la  moyenne)   0.0002   Coefficient  de  variation   3.2010   Minimum   -­‐ 0.0400   Déviation  moyenne   0.0017   Maximum   0.0439   Moment  d'ordre  2   0.0000   Intervalle   0.0839   Moment  d'ordre  3   0.0000   Somme   0.8925   Moment  d'ordre  4   0.0000   Somme  des  erreurs  types   0.1097   Médiane   0.0014   Total  des  sommes  des  carrés   0.0132   Erreur  médiane   0.0000   Somme  des  carrés  ajustée   0.0120   Centile  25%  (Q1)   0.0008   Moyenne  géométrique   0.0031   Centile  75%  (Q2)   0.0024   Moyenne  harmonique   0.0015   IQR   0.0016   Mode   #N/A   MAD   0.0008               0   50   100   150   200   250   -­‐0.0406   -­‐0.0386   -­‐0.0366   -­‐0.0346   -­‐0.0326   -­‐0.0306   -­‐0.0286   -­‐0.0266   -­‐0.0246   -­‐0.0226   -­‐0.0206   -­‐0.0186   -­‐0.0166   -­‐0.0146   -­‐0.0126   -­‐0.0106   -­‐0.0086   -­‐0.0066   -­‐0.0046   -­‐0.0026   -­‐0.0006   0.0014   0.0034   0.0054   0.0074   0.0094   0.0114   0.0134   0.0154   0.0174   0.0194   0.0214   0.0234   0.0254   0.0274   0.0294   0.0314   0.0334   0.0354   0.0374   0.0394   0.0414   0.0434   Nb.  d'obs.   Valeur   Histogramme  pour  0.00111340206185  
  • 25.   25   Intermediary  results  for  a  30%  equity  allocation  a  non-­‐government  bonds  allocation  varying   between  30%  and  40%  for  a  step  of  5%  on  the  catastrophe  bonds  allocation.      
  • 26.   26   3  months  volatility  evolution          
  • 27.   27   Bibliography   "The  fundamentals  of  insurance-­‐linked  securities",  Swiss  Re,  2011   "Insurance-­‐linked  securities  market  update  –  January  2015",  Swiss  Re,  2015   "Pricing   in   the   primary   market   for   cat   bonds:   new   empirical   evidence",   Alexander   Braun   edited  by  Hato  Schmeiser,  2014   "Using   catastrophe-­‐linked   securities   to   diversify   insurance   risk:   a   financial   analysis   of   cat-­‐ bonds",  Loubergé,  Kellezi  and  Gilli,  1999   "An  analysis  of  the  market  price  of  cat-­‐bonds",  Bodoff  &  Gan,  2009   "Diversification   through   catastrophe   bonds:   lessons   from   the   subprime   financial   crisis",   Carayannopoulos  &  Perez,  2013   "Convergence   of   insurance   and   financial   markets:   hybrid   and   securitized   risk   transfer   solutions",  Cummins  &  Weiss,  2008   "A  simple  robust  model  for  cat-­‐bond  valuation",  Jarrow,  2010   "Cat-­‐bonds  and  other  risk-­‐linked  securities:  state  of  the  market  and  recent  developments",   Cummins,  2008   "Analysis  and  optimization  of  a  portfolio  of  catastrophe  bonds",  Fredrik  Giertz,     "Cat-­‐bonds:   why   they   are   not   a   catastrophe   for   your   portfolio",   Dan   Singlement   for   BNP   Paribas  IP  &  FFTW,  2014   "Swiss   Re   Cat   Bond   Indices   Methodology,   effective:   August   1,   2014",   Swiss   Re   Capital   Markets     The  Swiss  Re  Group,  www.swissre.com   Artemis.bm,  www.artemis.bm   Swiss  Re  Capital  Markets,   http://www.swissre.com/reinsurance/insurers/ils/Swiss_Re_Capital_Markets_Insurance-­‐ Linked_Securities.html