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Firm-specific, industry-specific and macroeconomic factors of life insurers’ profitability: Evidence from Canada

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  • Killins, Robert N.

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of firm-specific, industry-specific and macroeconomic factors on the performance of life insurance firms. This study focuses on the Canadian life insurance sector, which is the second largest and oldest financial services sector in Canada. Using an empirical framework that incorporates both fixed and dynamic panel models that control for endogeneity issues, this research finds that size, liquidity, and risk exposure of life insurers are significant factors in their profitability. Secondly, industry concentration (e.g., HHI) fail to provide any meaningful evidence to support the structure-conduct-performance (SCP) theory in the static panel models, but in the dynamic models, industry concentration tends to have negative impacts on profitability. Macroeconomic factors such as real GDP growth and equity market returns are found to be significant determinants of insurers’ profitability. Finally, the persistence of profits for life insurers’ seems to lag that of their financial services counterparts (e.g., banks).

Suggested Citation

  • Killins, Robert N., 2020. "Firm-specific, industry-specific and macroeconomic factors of life insurers’ profitability: Evidence from Canada," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecofin:v:51:y:2020:i:c:s1062940819300713
    DOI: 10.1016/j.najef.2019.101068
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Insurance; Profitability; Canada; Panel data;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G22 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Insurance; Insurance Companies; Actuarial Studies
    • C23 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models

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