The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority issued an Investor Alert today warning investors about the risks of speculating on natural disasters with event-linked securities, such as catastrophe bonds or “cat bonds”.

Cat bonds offer high yields but can quickly lose most or all of their value if a triggering event, such as a hurricane, earthquake or pandemic, occurs in specified geographical regions, the regulator noted.

“Event-linked securities are complex products that can lose their value if a triggering catastrophe occurs,” said FINRA CEO Mary Schapiro. “While they are typically marketed to institutional investors, retail investors should know they could be vulnerable by virtue of owning shares in funds that invest in event-linked securities.”

The new Investor Alert describes how event-linked securities work and helps investors determine whether and to what extent the funds they hold invest in these securities. Investors are also encouraged to check their funds’ prospectuses to see whether any fund is authorized to invest in event-linked securities-including collateralized debt obligations and derivatives.