Insurers anticipate below‑average natural catastrophe losses despite rising climate‑change concerns
Executive summary: Insurers said they expect natural catastrophe damages to stay below average even as heat and dryness keep climate change in the public spotlight. Lower‑than‑expected claims would improve underwriting results and could affect premium pricing, reserve requirements and capital allocation.
Who is involved: European property and casualty insurers, reinsurers and their regulators are the primary actors.
Likely next: Market watchers will monitor upcoming inflation data, oil price trends and land‑property price developments for any shift in the insurers’ outlook.
The Handelsblatt report notes that while heat and drought have renewed public focus on climate change, actual natural catastrophe losses so far remain below historical averages. Insurers’ expectations of low damages could influence their underwriting profitability, reserve levels and investment strategies. The outlook contrasts with the broader macro‑economic environment of rising oil prices and inflation, which may affect the sector’s asset side and future claims costs.
Timeline
- — Häuser und Wohnungen: Grundstückspreise fallen, die Immobilienpreise nicht – wie kann das sein? (Handelsblatt)
- — Dax aktuell: Dax öffnet im Minus und unter 21‑Tage‑Linie – Inflation in Euro‑Zone im Fokus (Handelsblatt)
- — Klimakrise: Versicherer erwarten eher niedrige Naturkatastrophenschäden (Handelsblatt)
- — Bond sell-off intensifies around the world as oil prices rise above $91 a barrel, stoking inflation fears (The Guardian — Business)
Analysis — what this means
Sectors affected
- Property and casualty insurance
- Reinsurance
- Fixed‑income asset management
Sources
- Klimakrise: Versicherer erwarten eher niedrige Naturkatastrophenschäden — Handelsblatt
- Dax aktuell: Dax öffnet im Minus und unter 21‑Tage‑Linie – Inflation in Euro‑Zone im Fokus — Handelsblatt
- Bond sell-off intensifies around the world as oil prices rise above $91 a barrel, stoking inflation fears — The Guardian — Business
- Häuser und Wohnungen: Grundstückspreise fallen, die Immobilienpreise nicht – wie kann das sein? — Handelsblatt