Discrete-Time Mean-Variance Strategy Based on Reinforcement Learning ArXiv ID: 2312.15385 “View on arXiv” Authors: Unknown Abstract This paper studies a discrete-time mean-variance model based on reinforcement learning. Compared with its continuous-time counterpart in \cite{“zhou2020mv”}, the discrete-time model makes more general assumptions about the asset’s return distribution. Using entropy to measure the cost of exploration, we derive the optimal investment strategy, whose density function is also Gaussian type. Additionally, we design the corresponding reinforcement learning algorithm. Both simulation experiments and empirical analysis indicate that our discrete-time model exhibits better applicability when analyzing real-world data than the continuous-time model. ...

Enhancing Profitability and Investor Confidence through Interpretable AI Models for Investment Decisions ArXiv ID: 2312.16223 “View on arXiv” Authors: Unknown Abstract Financial forecasting plays an important role in making informed decisions for financial stakeholders, specifically in the stock exchange market. In a traditional setting, investors commonly rely on the equity research department for valuable reports on market insights and investment recommendations. The equity research department, however, faces challenges in effectuating decision-making do to the demanding cognitive effort required for analyzing the inherently volatile nature of market dynamics. Furthermore, financial forecasting systems employed by analysts pose potential risks in terms of interpretability and gaining the trust of all stakeholders. This paper presents an interpretable decision-making model leveraging the SHAP-based explainability technique to forecast investment recommendations. The proposed solution not only provides valuable insights into the factors that influence forecasted recommendations but also caters the investors of varying types, including those interested in daily and short-term investment opportunities. To ascertain the efficacy of the proposed model, a case study is devised that demonstrates a notable enhancement in investor’s portfolio value, employing our trading strategies. The results highlight the significance of incorporating interpretability in forecasting models to boost stakeholders’ confidence and foster transparency in the stock exchange domain. ...

Scalable Agent-Based Modeling for Complex Financial Market Simulations ArXiv ID: 2312.14903 “View on arXiv” Authors: Unknown Abstract In this study, we developed a computational framework for simulating large-scale agent-based financial markets. Our platform supports trading multiple simultaneous assets and leverages distributed computing to scale the number and complexity of simulated agents. Heterogeneous agents make decisions in parallel, and their orders are processed through a realistic, continuous double auction matching engine. We present a baseline model implementation and show that it captures several known statistical properties of real financial markets (i.e., stylized facts). Further, we demonstrate these results without fitting models to historical financial data. Thus, this framework could be used for direct applications such as human-in-the-loop machine learning or to explore theoretically exciting questions about market microstructure’s role in forming the statistical regularities of real markets. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to implement multiple assets, parallel agent decision-making, a continuous double auction mechanism, and intelligent agent types in a scalable real-time environment. ...

Comparative Evaluation of Anomaly Detection Methods for Fraud Detection in Online Credit Card Payments ArXiv ID: 2312.13896 “View on arXiv” Authors: Unknown Abstract This study explores the application of anomaly detection (AD) methods in imbalanced learning tasks, focusing on fraud detection using real online credit card payment data. We assess the performance of several recent AD methods and compare their effectiveness against standard supervised learning methods. Offering evidence of distribution shift within our dataset, we analyze its impact on the tested models’ performances. Our findings reveal that LightGBM exhibits significantly superior performance across all evaluated metrics but suffers more from distribution shifts than AD methods. Furthermore, our investigation reveals that LightGBM also captures the majority of frauds detected by AD methods. This observation challenges the potential benefits of ensemble methods to combine supervised, and AD approaches to enhance performance. In summary, this research provides practical insights into the utility of these techniques in real-world scenarios, showing LightGBM’s superiority in fraud detection while highlighting challenges related to distribution shifts. ...

CVA Hedging by Risk-Averse Stochastic-Horizon Reinforcement Learning ArXiv ID: 2312.14044 “View on arXiv” Authors: Unknown Abstract This work studies the dynamic risk management of the risk-neutral value of the potential credit losses on a portfolio of derivatives. Sensitivities-based hedging of such liability is sub-optimal because of bid-ask costs, pricing models which cannot be completely realistic, and a discontinuity at default time. We leverage recent advances on risk-averse Reinforcement Learning developed specifically for option hedging with an ad hoc practice-aligned objective function aware of pathwise volatility, generalizing them to stochastic horizons. We formalize accurately the evolution of the hedger’s portfolio stressing such aspects. We showcase the efficacy of our approach by a numerical study for a portfolio composed of a single FX forward contract. ...

Hawkes-based cryptocurrency forecasting via Limit Order Book data ArXiv ID: 2312.16190 “View on arXiv” Authors: Unknown Abstract Accurately forecasting the direction of financial returns poses a formidable challenge, given the inherent unpredictability of financial time series. The task becomes even more arduous when applied to cryptocurrency returns, given the chaotic and intricately complex nature of crypto markets. In this study, we present a novel prediction algorithm using limit order book (LOB) data rooted in the Hawkes model, a category of point processes. Coupled with a continuous output error (COE) model, our approach offers a precise forecast of return signs by leveraging predictions of future financial interactions. Capitalizing on the non-uniformly sampled structure of the original time series, our strategy surpasses benchmark models in both prediction accuracy and cumulative profit when implemented in a trading environment. The efficacy of our approach is validated through Monte Carlo simulations across 50 scenarios. The research draws on LOB measurements from a centralized cryptocurrency exchange where the stablecoin Tether is exchanged against the U.S. dollar. ...

Market-Adaptive Ratio for Portfolio Management ArXiv ID: 2312.13719 “View on arXiv” Authors: Unknown Abstract Traditional risk-adjusted returns, such as the Treynor, Sharpe, Sortino, and Information ratios, have been pivotal in portfolio asset allocation, focusing on minimizing risk while maximizing profit. Nevertheless, these metrics often fail to account for the distinct characteristics of bull and bear markets, leading to sub-optimal investment decisions. This paper introduces a novel approach called the Market-adaptive Ratio, which was designed to adjust risk preferences dynamically in response to market conditions. By integrating the $ρ$ parameter, which differentiates between bull and bear markets, this new ratio enables a more adaptive portfolio management strategy. The $ρ$ parameter is derived from historical data and implemented within a reinforcement learning framework, allowing the method to learn and optimize portfolio allocations based on prevailing market trends. Empirical analysis showed that the Market-adaptive Ratio outperformed the Sharpe Ratio by providing more robust risk-adjusted returns tailored to the specific market environment. This advance enhances portfolio performance by aligning investment strategies with the inherent dynamics of bull and bear markets, optimizing risk and return outcomes. ...

Shai: A large language model for asset management ArXiv ID: 2312.14203 “View on arXiv” Authors: Unknown Abstract This paper introduces “Shai” a 10B level large language model specifically designed for the asset management industry, built upon an open-source foundational model. With continuous pre-training and fine-tuning using a targeted corpus, Shai demonstrates enhanced performance in tasks relevant to its domain, outperforming baseline models. Our research includes the development of an innovative evaluation framework, which integrates professional qualification exams, tailored tasks, open-ended question answering, and safety assessments, to comprehensively assess Shai’s capabilities. Furthermore, we discuss the challenges and implications of utilizing large language models like GPT-4 for performance assessment in asset management, suggesting a combination of automated evaluation and human judgment. Shai’s development, showcasing the potential and versatility of 10B-level large language models in the financial sector with significant performance and modest computational requirements, hopes to provide practical insights and methodologies to assist industry peers in their similar endeavors. ...

Cross-Currency Heath-Jarrow-Morton Framework in the Multiple-Curve Setting ArXiv ID: 2312.13057 “View on arXiv” Authors: Unknown Abstract We provide a general HJM framework for forward contracts written on abstract market indices with arbitrary fixing and payment adjustments, and featuring collateralization in any currency denominations. In view of this, we first provide a thorough study of cross-currency markets in the presence of collateral and incompleteness. Then we give a general treatment of collateral dislocations by describing the instantaneous cross-currency basis spreads by means of HJM models, for which we derive appropriate drift conditions. The framework obtained allows us to simultaneously cover forward-looking risky IBOR rates, such as EURIBOR, and backward-looking rates based on overnight rates, such as SOFR. Due to the discrepancies in market conventions of different currency areas created by the benchmark transition, this is pivotal for describing portfolios of interest-rate products that are denominated in multiple currencies. As an example of contract simultaneously depending on all the risk factors that we describe within our framework, we treat cross-currency swaps using our proposed abstract indices. ...

Leveraging Sample Entropy for Enhanced Volatility Measurement and Prediction in International Oil Price Returns ArXiv ID: 2312.12788 “View on arXiv” Authors: Unknown Abstract This paper explores the application of Sample Entropy (SampEn) as a sophisticated tool for quantifying and predicting volatility in international oil price returns. SampEn, known for its ability to capture underlying patterns and predict periods of heightened volatility, is compared with traditional measures like standard deviation. The study utilizes a comprehensive dataset spanning 27 years (1986-2023) and employs both time series regression and machine learning methods. Results indicate SampEn’s efficacy in predicting traditional volatility measures, with machine learning algorithms outperforming standard regression techniques during financial crises. The findings underscore SampEn’s potential as a valuable tool for risk assessment and decision-making in the realm of oil price investments. ...