Pricing Dynamics and Solvency in Insurance: Capital Allocation, Surplus and Insurance Cycle

This paper proposes a stochastic multi-period pricing model based on the default option value with insurance cycle to examine the interactions among pricing, surplus allocation and solvency for a multiline insurer. The proposed innovative model captures the dynamic aspects of capitalization and the impact of dynamic premium setting on the insurer’s solvency and risk management. We derived the equilibrium premium for different insurance contract designs. Our results show that the allocation of surplus per line affects the default of the other lines and depends on the correlation between the solvency ratio and the loss ratio of the line. The presence of the insurance cycle can boost solvency provided that the insurer adopts the right underwriting strategy. Based on the correlation between the solvency ratio and the loss ratio of the line, the insurer can make strategic decision about fair pricing. This makes it possible to reconcile the objectives of pricing with the insurer’s solvency and its strategic decision-making in a long-term perspective.

A contribution to the empirics of food price behavior: the case of rice price dynamics in Italy

PurposeThe purpose is to detect the nonlinearity wholesale rice price formation process in Italy in the 1995–2017 period.Design/methodology/approachA nonlinear smooth transition autoregressive (STAR)-type dynamics model is used.FindingsWholesale rice prices are significantly affected by variations in the international price of rice as well as variations in Arborio price.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations include policy recommendations for the production and commercialization of rice in Italy.Practical implicationsUnderstanding rice pricing dynamics and nonlinearity behavior is pivotal for the survival of the entire European and Italian rice supply chain.Originality/valueIn the extant literature, no evidence exists on non-linearity of rice prices in Italy.