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What’s Wrong with Annuity Markets?

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  • Stéphane Verani
  • Pei Cheng Yu

Abstract

We show that the supply of U.S. life annuities is constrained by interest rate risk. We identify this effect using annuity prices offered by life insurers from 1989 to 2019 and exogenous variations in contract-level regulatory capital requirements. The cost of interest rate risk management—conditional on the effect of adverse selection—accounts for about half of annuity markups, or 8 percentage points. The contribution of interest rate risk to annuity markups sharply increased after the Global Financial Crisis, suggesting new retirees’ opportunities to transfer their longevity risk are unlikely to improve in a persistently low interest rate environment.

Suggested Citation

  • Stéphane Verani & Pei Cheng Yu, 2024. "What’s Wrong with Annuity Markets?," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 22(4), pages 1981-2024.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:jeurec:v:22:y:2024:i:4:p:1981-2024.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/jeea/jvae007
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • G10 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - General (includes Measurement and Data)
    • G22 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Insurance; Insurance Companies; Actuarial Studies
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill

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