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A.M. Best Special Report: U.S. Property/Casualty Stock Performance Hindered By Global Financial ConcernsAccording to a special report by A.M. Best, mid-cap stocks of U.S. property/casualty (P/C) companies outperformed small and large-cap stocks during second-quarter 2015. The Best Special Report, titled, "U.S. Property/Casualty Stock Performance Hindered By Global Financial Concerns," says that as second-quarter 2015 came to a close, optimism about an upturn in the U.S. economy and resilient corporate earnings growth was largely tempered by deep concerns over the Greek debt crisis. Small cap stocks had the largest volatility of returns during the quarter. While clearly offering opportunities for larger returns, volatility associated with small-cap stocks is typical, largely due to their smaller institutional investor base, lighter trading volume and smaller float of common shares. Of the 44 P/C stocks covered throughout this report, 26 had a negative return for second-quarter 2015, while the other 17 all generated larger returns, thus, reversing the performance exhibited during the first quarter of the year. Some of the highlights from this report include:
While the U.S. P/C industry posting improved underwriting results and net income through the first six months of 2015, companies are still facing opposing forces of opportunity contrasted with considerable challenges, not the least of which is the volatility in the market itself. For the full copy of this special report, please visit http://www3.ambest.com/bestweek/purchase.asp?record_code=242207. For the full copy of the P/C six month special report, please visit http://www3.ambest.com/bestweek/purchase.asp?record_code=242122. A.M. Best Company is the world's oldest and most authoritative insurance rating and information source. For more information, visit www.ambest.com. Copyright © 2015 by A.M. Best Company, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20151006006331/en/ |