CHINA Life Insurance, the nation’s largest life insurer by market share, said profit rose 11 per cent in the first half as an improving stock market boosted investment returns.
Net income climbed to 38.3 billion yuan (S$7 billion), from 34.6 billion yuan a year earlier, the Beijing-based company said in a filing to the Shanghai stock exchange on Thursday (Aug 29).
China Life joined competitor Ping An Insurance (Group) in reporting bigger profits for the period as a recovery in the nation’s equity market underpinned their investments even as bond yields fell. Demand for savings products and lower distribution costs helped boost policy sales and profitability.
The company booked 47.8 billion yuan in fair-value gains on financial assets, almost 15 times the gain a year earlier, while net investment income rose about 2 per cent to 92.4 billion yuan, according to the statement. The CSI 300 gauge rose 0.9 per cent in the first half after recovering from a meltdown earlier in the year.
New business value, which gauges the profitability of new life policies sold, expanded about 19 per cent for the period, slowing from a 26.3 per cent jump in the first quarter.
China Life will “pro-actively” buy stocks that are undervalue as part of its bid to be a long-term investor, vice-president Liu Hui said on Friday. The firm sees opportunities in technology innovation, advanced manufacturing and green development, she added.
Ping An last week reported a nearly 7 per cent increase in net income and 11 per cent growth in new business value. A recent regulatory move to lower assumed interest rates used in pricing life policies will have a “positive” impact on the business by lowering liability costs, co-CEO Michael Guo said.
China Life rose as much as 7.5 per cent in Hong Kong on Friday, outperforming the benchmark Hang Seng Index’s 2.3 per cent rise. BLOOMBERG
