Insurance is generally an action taken to offset the impact of a negative event. Taking out insurance is a bet that something bad may happen and that protection against it is needed. Hedging is a type of insurance. However, hedging is a markedly different method of insurance from home, auto and flood insurance. Hedging refers to any series of actions taken to offset the potential risk of losses on a financial investment. Medical, home, auto and flood insurance policies promise to recompense any loss in full or part in exchange for a small monthly fee.
Insurance means protection against any tragedy. Most people do insurance to themselves and their family. The main purpose of taking insurance is to recover in case any disaster happens. Insurance does not increase your financial status, however it is a service charge taken by insurance companies to give you protection against any kind of mis-happening. Insurance can be of short term or long term; in either case people have to pay some amount to the insurance companies for a limited time. The amount, which is paid by people to insurance companies, is called premium and decided as per the scheme taken. Hedging is a risk management strategy used in limiting or offsetting probability of loss from fluctuations in the prices of commodities, currencies, or securities. In effect, hedging is a transfer of risk without buying insurance policies.
Hedging employs various techniques but, basically, involves taking equal and opposite positions in two different markets (such as cash and futures markets). Hedging is used also in protecting one's capital against effects of inflation through investing in high-yield financial instruments (bonds, notes, shares), real estate, or precious metals.
Q.discuss the challenges faced by insurance companies in Kenya
1. Solvency
Companies that offered whole and term life insurance began offering "market-sensitive" products