Profits at most major nonlife insurers jumped in the six months to September, thanks partly to brisk gains from investments in stocks and funds that escaped the turmoil generated by the subprime housing loan crisis in the U.S., the companies said Tuesday.
The nonlife insurance industry also got a boost because fewer natural disasters struck Japan this summer, lowering payouts. Last year, a powerful typhoon smacked into the Kyushu area in September, causing payouts to jump.
Group net profit rose at five of Japan's six major nonlife insurers.