IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/insuma/v125y2025ics0167668725001076.html

Dynamic investment-driven insurance pricing and optimal regulation

Author

Listed:
  • Chen, Bingzheng
  • Liang, Zongxia
  • Pang, Shunzhi

Abstract

This paper analyzes the competitive equilibrium of insurance market in a dynamic setting, focusing on the interaction between insurers' underwriting and investment strategies. Three possible equilibrium outcomes are identified: a positive insurance market, a zero insurance market, and market failure. Our findings reveal why insurers may rationally accept underwriting losses by setting a negative safety loading while relying on investment profits, particularly when there is a negative correlation between insurance gains and financial returns. Such losses can still occur even when the insurance market is monopolistic. Additionally, we explore the impact of regulatory frictions, showing that while imposing a cost on investment can enhance social welfare under certain conditions, it may not always be necessary.

Suggested Citation

  • Chen, Bingzheng & Liang, Zongxia & Pang, Shunzhi, 2025. "Dynamic investment-driven insurance pricing and optimal regulation," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:insuma:v:125:y:2025:i:c:s0167668725001076
    DOI: 10.1016/j.insmatheco.2025.103160
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167668725001076
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.insmatheco.2025.103160?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Li, Dongchen & Zeng, Yan & Zhao, Yixing, 2025. "The impact of intermediaries on insurance demand and pricing," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 143-156.
    2. Dominique Henriet & Nataliya Klimenko & Jean-Charles Rochet, 2016. "The Dynamics of Insurance Prices," The Geneva Risk and Insurance Review, Palgrave Macmillan;International Association for the Study of Insurance Economics (The Geneva Association), vol. 41(1), pages 2-18, March.
    3. Zeng, Yan & Li, Zhongfei, 2011. "Optimal time-consistent investment and reinsurance policies for mean-variance insurers," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(1), pages 145-154, July.
    4. Chi Liu & Hailiang Yang, 2004. "Optimal Investment for an Insurer to Minimize Its Probability of Ruin," North American Actuarial Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(2), pages 11-31.
    5. Emms, Paul & Haberman, Steven, 2005. "Pricing General Insurance Using Optimal Control Theory," ASTIN Bulletin, Cambridge University Press, vol. 35(2), pages 427-453, November.
    6. Shan Ge, 2022. "How Do Financial Constraints Affect Product Pricing? Evidence from Weather and Life Insurance Premiums," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 77(1), pages 449-503, February.
    7. Benjamin Knox & Jakob Ahm Sørensen, 2024. "Insurers’ Investments and Insurance Prices," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2024-058, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    8. Ralph S.J. Koijen & Motohiro Yogo, 2022. "The Fragility of Market Risk Insurance," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 77(2), pages 815-862, April.
    9. Ralph S. J. Koijen & Motohiro Yogo, 2023. "Understanding the Ownership Structure of Corporate Bonds," American Economic Review: Insights, American Economic Association, vol. 5(1), pages 73-92, March.
    10. Koijen, Ralph S.J. & Lee, Hae Kang & Van Nieuwerburgh, Stijn, 2024. "Aggregate lapsation risk," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    11. Yang, Hailiang & Zhang, Lihong, 2005. "Optimal investment for insurer with jump-diffusion risk process," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 615-634, December.
    12. Asimit, Vali & Boonen, Tim J., 2018. "Insurance with multiple insurers: A game-theoretic approach," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 267(2), pages 778-790.
    13. Frank Y. Feng & Xudong Zeng & Guanxia Zhu, 2023. "Insurance pricing in an equilibrium model," Scandinavian Actuarial Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 2023(8), pages 834-852, September.
    14. Ishita Sen, 2023. "Regulatory Limits to Risk Management," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 36(6), pages 2175-2223.
    15. Winter Ralph A., 1994. "The Dynamics of Competitive Insurance Markets," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 3(4), pages 379-415, September.
    16. Emms, Paul, 2007. "Dynamic Pricing of General Insurance in a Competitive Market," ASTIN Bulletin, Cambridge University Press, vol. 37(1), pages 1-34, May.
    17. Paul Emms, 2012. "Equilibrium Pricing of General Insurance Policies," North American Actuarial Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(3), pages 323-349.
    18. Ralph S. J. Koijen & Motohiro Yogo, 2015. "The Cost of Financial Frictions for Life Insurers," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 105(1), pages 445-475, January.
    19. Cheng, Bingqian & Wang, Hao & Zhang, Lihong, 2024. "Robust investment for insurers with correlation ambiguity," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 247-257.
    20. Mark Egan & Shan Ge & Johnny Tang, 2022. "Conflicting Interests and the Effect of Fiduciary Duty: Evidence from Variable Annuities," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 35(12), pages 5334-5386.
    21. Yi, Bo & Li, Zhongfei & Viens, Frederi G. & Zeng, Yan, 2013. "Robust optimal control for an insurer with reinsurance and investment under Heston’s stochastic volatility model," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 53(3), pages 601-614.
    22. Kubitza, Christian & Grochola, Nicolaus & Gründl, Helmut, 2025. "Life insurance convexity," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    23. Andrew Ellul & Chotibhak Jotikasthira & Anastasia Kartasheva & Christian T Lundblad & Wolf Wagner, 2022. "Insurers as Asset Managers and Systemic Risk," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 35(12), pages 5483-5534.
    24. Kubitza, Christian, 2021. "Investor-driven corporate finance: Evidence from insurance markets," ICIR Working Paper Series 43/21, Goethe University Frankfurt, International Center for Insurance Regulation (ICIR).
    25. Guan, Guohui & Liang, Zongxia, 2019. "Robust optimal reinsurance and investment strategies for an AAI with multiple risks," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 63-78.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Shunzhi Pang, 2026. "Robust Investment-Driven Insurance Pricing under Correlation Ambiguity," Papers 2603.18969, arXiv.org.
    2. Bingzheng Chen & Jan Dhaene & Chun Liu & Shunzhi Pang, 2026. "Robust Investment-Driven Insurance Pricing and Liquidity Management," Papers 2603.18962, arXiv.org.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Bingzheng Chen & Zongxia Liang & Shunzhi Pang, 2024. "Dynamic Investment-Driven Insurance Pricing and Optimal Regulation," Papers 2410.18432, arXiv.org, revised Apr 2025.
    2. Benjamin Knox & Jakob Ahm Sørensen, 2024. "Insurers’ Investments and Insurance Prices," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2024-058, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    3. Bingzheng Chen & Jan Dhaene & Chun Liu & Shunzhi Pang, 2026. "Robust Investment-Driven Insurance Pricing and Liquidity Management," Papers 2603.18962, arXiv.org.
    4. Shunzhi Pang, 2025. "Robust Insurance Pricing and Liquidity Management," Papers 2510.15709, arXiv.org.
    5. Damast, Dominik & Kubitza, Christian & Sørensen, Jakob Ahm, 2025. "Homeowners insurance and the transmission of monetary policy," ICIR Working Paper Series 55/25, Goethe University Frankfurt, International Center for Insurance Regulation (ICIR).
    6. Kubitza, Christian & Grochola, Nicolaus & Gründl, Helmut, 2025. "Life insurance convexity," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    7. Boonen, Tim J. & Pantelous, Athanasios A. & Wu, Renchao, 2018. "Non-cooperative dynamic games for general insurance markets," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 123-135.
    8. Shunzhi Pang, 2026. "Robust Investment-Driven Insurance Pricing under Correlation Ambiguity," Papers 2603.18969, arXiv.org.
    9. Thiemo Fetzer & Benjamin Guin & Felipe Netto & Farzad Saidi, 2024. "Insurers Monitor Shocks to Collateral: Micro Evidence from Mortgage-Backed Securities," CESifo Working Paper Series 11324, CESifo.
    10. Mao, Hong & Carson, James M. & Ostaszewski, Krzysztof M. & Wen, Zhongkai, 2013. "Optimal decision on dynamic insurance price and investment portfolio of an insurer," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(2), pages 359-369.
    11. Bo Becker & Marcus M Opp & Farzad Saidi, 2022. "Regulatory Forbearance in the U.S. Insurance Industry: The Effects of Removing Capital Requirements for an Asset Class," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 35(12), pages 5438-5482.
    12. Mourdoukoutas, Fotios & Boonen, Tim J. & Koo, Bonsoo & Pantelous, Athanasios A., 2021. "Pricing in a competitive stochastic insurance market," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 44-56.
    13. Kyeonghee Kim & J. Tyler Leverty & Joan T. Schmit, 2023. "Regulatory capital and asset risk transfer," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 90(4), pages 1027-1061, December.
    14. Zhao, Hui & Rong, Ximin & Zhao, Yonggan, 2013. "Optimal excess-of-loss reinsurance and investment problem for an insurer with jump–diffusion risk process under the Heston model," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 53(3), pages 504-514.
    15. Hombert, Johan & Möhlmann, Axel & Weiß, Matthias, 2021. "Inter-cohort risk sharing with long-term guarantees: Evidence from German participating contracts," Discussion Papers 10/2021, Deutsche Bundesbank.
    16. Yang Shen & Bin Zou, 2021. "Mean-Variance Investment and Risk Control Strategies -- A Time-Consistent Approach via A Forward Auxiliary Process," Papers 2101.03954, arXiv.org.
    17. Nicolaus Grochola & Mark J. Browne & Helmut Gründl & Sebastian Schlütter, 2023. "Exploring the market risk profiles of US and European stock insurers," Risk Management and Insurance Review, American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 26(3), pages 287-341, October.
    18. Asmussen, Søren & Christensen, Bent Jesper & Thøgersen, Julie, 2019. "Nash equilibrium premium strategies for push–pull competition in a frictional non-life insurance market," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 92-100.
    19. Guan, Guohui & Liang, Zongxia, 2019. "Robust optimal reinsurance and investment strategies for an AAI with multiple risks," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 63-78.
    20. Hu, Duni & Chen, Shou & Wang, Hailong, 2018. "Robust reinsurance contracts with uncertainty about jump risk," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 266(3), pages 1175-1188.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:insuma:v:125:y:2025:i:c:s0167668725001076. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/505554 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.