doiSerbia

The impact of the global financial crisis on the structure of investment portfolios of insurance companies

Kočović Jelena (Faculty of Economics, Belgrade)
Rakonjac-Antić Tatjana (Faculty of Economics, Belgrade)
Jovović Marija (Faculty of Economics, Belgrade)

This article deals with the impact of the global financial crisis on the scale and structure of investment portfolios of insurance companies, with respect to their difference compared to other types of financial institution, which derives from the specific nature of insurance activities. The analysis includes insurance companies’ exhibited and expected patterns of behavior as investors in the period before, during, and after the crisis, considering both the markets of economically developed countries and the domestic financial market of Serbia. The direction of insurers’ investments in the post-crisis period should be very carefully examined in terms of their future implications for the insurance companies’ long-term financial health, and defined in a broader context of managing all risks to which they are exposed, taking into account the interdependence of these risks. Pertinent recommendations in this regard have arisen from research of relevant past experience and current trends, and also from an analysis and comparison of views on this subject presented by a number of authors.

Keywords: global financial crisis, life insurance, non-life insurance, investment portfolio, investment risk