English
Catastrophe bonds are securities with payoffs linked to natural tail events. Using a new proprietary database, we investigate the determinants of the pricing ofCATbonds.
Wefind thatCATbonds are low beta securities: they have low exposure to stock-market market risk and (although to a lesser extent) to corporate bonds risk. Their risk-premium is significantly positive and is not explained by exposure to systematic risk. We show that issuer’s reputation matters for pricing: issuance of inexperienced issuers are priced at a discount.
JEL Codes: G12, Q54.