by Elisa Luciano, Antonella Tolomeo; CeRP WP 160/16
Abstract
The development of a market for longevity bonds is considered bene cial to investors, because it o ffers diversi fication opportunities. However, understanding of both longevity and interest rate risks is required to rationally invest in longevity bonds. This paper models the optimal behavior of an investor facing the choice between a traditional and a longevity bond. When buying longevity bonds, he can decide to pay a fee and separate the information on di fferent risks a ffecting its bond value, or to remain uninformed and receive a non-separating signal. The uninformed investor optimally filters his pooled signal. The paper provides conditions under which the optimal portfolio choice is the longevity bond and conditions under which diversi cation is not benefi cial. A calibrated example is provided.
Published: April 2016