8月8日起！国债等恢复征税，险资16.97万亿配置面临调整

Core Viewpoint - The implementation of a new policy starting August 8 will reinstate value-added tax (VAT) on interest income from newly issued government bonds, local government bonds, and financial bonds, impacting the asset allocation strategies of insurance funds significantly [1] Direct Impact on Investment Returns - The new policy will directly affect the bond investment yield for insurance institutions, with a VAT rate of 6% applied to newly issued bonds. This could lead to a decrease of approximately 9.6 basis points in yield for 10-year government bonds, which currently have a yield of around 1.7% [3] - Given that nearly 50% of insurance funds are allocated to bonds, and assuming 70% of these are government bonds, the overall impact on investment yield for insurance companies is estimated to be a decline of about 3 basis points [3] - The static impact on net profit for insurance companies is expected to be limited, with estimates suggesting a net profit impact of around 1% due to the existing exemption for bonds issued before the policy change [3] Marginal Adjustments in Asset Allocation - While bonds will continue to be a cornerstone of insurance fund allocation, the new policy will prompt marginal adjustments in asset allocation strategies. Insurance funds will still focus on absolute returns, with long-duration bonds remaining a key investment area due to the long-term nature of life insurance liabilities [4] - In a declining interest rate environment, some insurance institutions may increase their allocation to equity assets to replace part of their bond investments, aiming to enhance overall investment returns. There is a noted shift towards high-dividend stocks to mitigate the impact of the VAT reinstatement on government bonds [4] - The policy will also influence investment preferences among different types of bonds, with government bonds likely to attract more funds due to their longer exemption period from VAT compared to local and financial bonds. This could lead to a shift in allocations from local and financial bonds towards government bonds, while the attractiveness of credit and corporate bonds may increase [4]