Asian insurers eye ETFs, hedge funds, property

Asian insurers are seeking ways to diversify their portfolios and are more keen on absolute return strategies than their global counterparts, finds a BlackRock survey. This has been sparked by anticipation that the US Federal Reserve will begin curtailing its quantitative easing programme within the next two years. Some 70% of regional insurance companies say they will cut the portfolio duration on their bond portfolios to reduce the risk of rising interest rates, compared with …