Room For Growth In Catastrophe Reinsurance

Catastrophe bonds and other alternative reinsurance vehicles have had a surge of capital inflow this year, and investors will continue to put larger shares of their portfolios into alternative reinsurance as long as interest rates remain low, says UBS analyst Brian Meredith.

Alternative reinsurance currently accounts for about 14 percent of global catastrophe reinsurance (about $45 billion), doubling in the last five years, and Meredith thinks that it could double again in the next five. RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:RNR) and Vision Reinsurance (VR) are especially good values right now because they have underperformed the market in recent years. “At current valuations, we see limited downside for both stocks,” says...