April 2012/1

Mexico is planning to transfer nearly all its federal catastrophe risk to the capital markets after pioneering the first sovereign parametric cat bond in 2006

Industry group the Life and Longevity Markets Association (LLMA) has launched a new set of longevity indices to help attract additional investor capital to the market

Collateralised markets continued to attract interest as rates rose at the Asian-focused 1 April renewals, according to broker reports

ILS fund manager returns have begun 2012 in positive territory after the first catastrophe clear start to a year since 2009

North Atlantic hurricane activity is set to be below average in the coming season, according to the latest reports from Colorado State University's Department of Atmospheric Science

Former Climate Exchange CEO Neil Eckert is moving closer to a deal to buy back the trading rights to the Ifex catastrophe-linked derivatives in time for trading during the 2012 wind season, Trading Risk understands

Secondary trading volumes have been dampened by the busy new issuance pipeline as investors focus mostly on building up their portfolios with new deals

Rising ILS premiums suggest that the market is hardening, Lane Financial said in its annual review of the market

Pricing on the Swiss Re cat bond price return index has continued its slow plunge to a two-year low this month as significant ILS investors seek other reinsurance opportunities

In the largest ever first quarter of cat bond issuance, Swiss Re's $200mn Combine Re offering stood out for an innovative structure that the reinsurer hopes will open up the market to more sponsors

There was a fun little video introduction at the recent Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association ILS conference that involved asking passersby on Wall Street what they thought of the world of cat modelling and cat bonds

Start-up ILS manager Petra Haven Capital hopes to begin underwriting from 2013 after raising more than half its $100mn target capital, CEO Brad Chance told Trading Risk