Shares of insurance leader Chubb Limited (NYSE: CB) fell fairly hard on Wednesday, down 3.9% as of 12:36 p.m. ET, even though the broader indexes were up on the day.
But while indexes were largely positive, it seems the entire insurance sector was down on the day. While it doesn’t appear there is a single reason for the move, a confluence of negative insurance-related stories may be causing investors to sell this “defensive” sector and buy other more economically sensitive sectors.
It should be noted the insurance industry has generally seen a very positive three years or so, ever since inflation and higher interest rates emerged in 2022. While climate-change-related storms are causing more damage and the legal system is putting higher judgments on the backs of insurance carriers, that also spurred many insurers to leave the business, leaving the remaining companies to raise rates fairly significantly over multiple years.