Machine Learning and Financial Applications
Machine Learning and Financial Applications
What is AI - Definition
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What is ML - Definition
Most recent advances in AI have been achieved
by applying machine learning to very large data
sets. Machine-learning algorithms detect
patterns and learn how to make predictions
and recommendations by processing data and
experiences, rather than by receiving explicit
programming instruction. The algorithms also
adapt in response to new data and experiences
to improve efficacy over time.
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Major Types of ML
Supervised Learning
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Unsupervised Learning
Reinforcement Learning
What: An algorithm learns to
perform a task simply by trying to
maximize rewards it receives for
its actions (eg, maximizes points it
receives for increasing returns of
an investment portfolio)
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APPENDIX SLIDES
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Traditional Programming
Data
Computer Output
Program
Machine Learning
Data
Computer Program
Output
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ML Applications in Finance
• ML is about digesting large amounts of data and learning
from that data in how to carry out a specific task, such as
distinguishing fraudulent legal documents from authentic
documents.
• ML excels at handling large and complex volumes of data,
something the finance industry has in excess of.
• Due to the high volume of historical financial data
generated in the industry, ML has found many useful
applications in finance.
• The technology has come to play an integral role in many
phases of the financial ecosystem, from approving loans
and carrying out credit scores, to managing assets and
assessing risk.
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AI and Trading
• Algorithmic, quantitative or HFT have been expanding rapidly
across the world’s stock markets, and for good reason: AI
offers multiple significant benefits.
• Intelligent Trading Systems monitor both structured
(databases, spreadsheets, etc.) and unstructured (social
media, news, etc.) data in a fraction of the time. Faster
processing means faster decisions and transactions.
• The predictions for stock performance are more accurate,
due to the fact that algorithms can test trading systems based
on past data and bring the validation process to a whole new
level before pushing it live.
• AI puts together recommendations for the strongest
portfolios depending on a specific investor’s short- and long-
term goals.
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Algo Trading
• Algorithmic trading (automated trading, black-box
trading or simply algo-trading) is the process of using
computers programmed to follow a defined set of
instructions (an algorithm) for placing a trade in order to
generate profits at a speed and frequency that is
impossible for a human trader. The defined sets of rules are
based on timing, price, quantity or any mathematical model.
• Algo trading is not an attempt to make a trading profit. It is
simply a way to minimize the cost, market impact and risk in
execution of an order. It is widely used by investment
banks, pension funds, mutual funds, and hedge funds because
these institutional traders need to execute large orders in
markets that cannot support all of the size at once.
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Algo Trading
• Example:
• Suppose a trader follows these simple trading criteria:
• Buy 50 shares of a stock when its 50-day moving average goes
above the 200-day moving average.
• Sell shares of the stock when its 50-day moving average goes
below the 200-day moving average.
• Using this set of two simple instructions, it is easy to write a
computer program that will automatically monitor the stock
price and the moving average indicators, and place the buy
and sell orders when the defined conditions are met. The
trader no longer needs to keep watch for live prices and
graphs, or put in the orders manually. The algorithmic trading
system automatically does it for him, by correctly identifying
the trading opportunity.
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Algo/HFT in India
High-frequency trading has penetrated into the Indian finance sector pretty well by
now. The persistence of its growth should be duly considered. The High-frequency
trading realm is getting crowded day by day with companies like:
• Tower Research (Gurgaon)
• Goldman Sachs | India (Bangalore/Mumbai)
• Morgan Stanley in India (Mumbai)
• Way2Wealth Illuminati Securities Private Limited (Bangalore/Mumbai)
• iRageCapital (Mumbai)
• Estee Advisors (Gurgaon)
• Quadeye (Gurgaon)
• Acceletrade Technologies
• Dolat Group (Mumbai)
• Edelweiss (Mumbai)
• APT (Gurgaon)
• Open Futures (Delhi)
• WorldQuant LLC
• Samssara Capital Technologies 44
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Hedge Fund
• Hedge funds are alternative investments using pooled
funds that employ numerous different strategies to
earn active return, or alpha, for their investors.
• Hedge funds may be aggressively managed or make use
of derivatives and leverage in both domestic and
international markets with the goal of generating
high returns (either in an absolute sense or over a specified
market benchmark).
• Hedge funds are less regulated than mutual and other
investment vehicles.
• Each hedge fund is constructed to take advantage of certain
identifiable market opportunities. Hedge funds use
different investment strategies and thus are often classified
according to investment style. There is substantial diversity in
risk attributes and investments among styles.
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Quantopian
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Quantopian - Objectives
• Established in August, 2011.
• First web-based platform that allowed professional and
amateur quantitative traders to develop, test and
execute their strategies.
• Goal: Create a trading strategy on our platform which
will continue to make money in the future.
• Ambition: If barriers to algo trading were lowered and
the development process standardized, thousands of
talented quants would form a commuity around the
platform. Talented minds could come together to
create unlimited possibilities.
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Crowdsourcing Models
• Crowd Judgment: This model pools judgments or ratings from
a large member pool to reach a collective opinion.
• Ex:
1) Vetr (https://www.vetr.com.au/) – Stock advisory firm –
Stock monitoring, rating and prediction done by crowd users
2) Estimize: (https://www.estimize.com/) – Market
forecasting business – Crowdsourced earnings and economic
forecasts
3) Augur: (https://www.augur.net/) - Market forecasting
business – It is a decentralized oracle and peer to peer
protocol for prediction markets.
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Crowdsourcing Models
• Crowd Resource: This model pools resources from a crowd of
unknowns to achieve its business goals. This model, at almost
no cost, asks the crowd to contribute resources such as
financial capital or slack computing power.
• Ex:
1) Kickstarter (https://www.kickstarter.com/) – Venture
funding business – Seed funding for new ventures
2) CircleUp: (https://circleup.com/ ) – Venture funding
business – Equity crowd funding for consumer product
ventures
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Crowdsourcing Models
• Crowd Wisdom: This model curates thoughts and synthesizes
collective intelligence from a crowd of unknowns to
accomplish more sophisticated business tasks.
• Ex:
1) Quantopian (https://www.quantopian.com/) – Hedge Fund
– Quant hedge fund trading algorithms
2) Numerai: (https://numer.ai) – Hedge Fund – Macro hedge
fund with crowd sourced mathematical models
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