(Reuters) – Insurer W R Berkley reported a rise in fourth-quarter profit on Wednesday, helped by higher premiums and a surge in investment income. Heightened expectations of a soft landing have boosted sentiment among businesses and reduced uncertainty, encouraging them to ramp up their spending on insurance policies. The 57-year-old W R Berkley operates two segments – insurance and reinsurance & monoline excess. The insurance unit primarily caters to commercial clients and is the bigger business. Reinsurance & monoline excess provides insurance to other insurers to help them manage their risk…