SAN DIEGO — Excess and surplus lines insurers are enjoying a respite in a turbulent marketplace as a growing economy and rising demand for their services balance the market’s increased competitiveness.

Several E&S insurer executives say this year’s market is showing increased price stability.

One stabilizing factor has been the retreat of standard lines insurers from writing business normally written by E&S insurers in the wake of large catastrophe losses, said Alan J. Kaufman, chairman, president and CEO of Farmington Hills, Mich.-based Burns & Wilcox Ltd.