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arXiv research

A locally-built, LLM-digested index of recent arXiv papers in quant finance, geometry/topology, and statistical ML — keyword search served straight from SQLite on this machine.

168,695 papers · 148 categories

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71141212282 · May 202619922001200920172026
48 results for mean return

Classical mean-variance portfolio theory tells us how to construct a portfolio of assets which has the greatest expected return for a given level of return volatility. Utility theory then allows an investor to choose the point along this efficient frontier which optimally balances her desire for excess expected return …

2009-08-11abs ↗pdf ↗

Optimizes trading returns using Hurst exponent and Q-learning.

problem Maximizing returns from momentum and mean reversion strategies.
method Classifies assets using Hurst exponent and uses Q-learning to improve trading algorithms.
result Trading with Hurst exponent can achieve higher returns but at higher risk.

We show that the moments of the distribution of historic stock returns are in excellent agreement with the Heston model and not with the multiplicative model, which predicts power-law tails of volatility and stock returns. We also show that the mean realized variance of returns is a linear function of the number of day…

2017-11-29abs ↗pdf ↗

Analyzes multi-day stock returns, showing linear volatility and mean dependence.

problem Linear dependence of volatility and mean in accumulated stock returns.
method Modified Jones-Faddy skew t-distribution analysis.
result Linear dependence of volatility and mean on the number of days of accumulation.

This paper studies a continuous-time market where an agent, having specified an investment horizon and a targeted terminal mean return, seeks to minimize the variance of the return. The optimal portfolio of such a problem is called mean-variance efficient à la Markowitz. It is shown that, when the market coefficients a…

2007-02-09abs ↗pdf ↗

Paper predicts high-frequency futures return directions using mean-uncertainty methods.

problem Data imbalance in short-term price movements of futures markets.
method Employed mean-uncertainty logistic regression and support vector machines under sublinear expectation framework.
result Mean-uncertainty approaches outperform conventional methods in classification metrics and average returns.

The statistical properties of the return intervals τqτ_q between successive 1-min volatilities of 30 liquid Chinese stocks exceeding a certain threshold qq are carefully studied. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) test shows that 12 stocks exhibit scaling behaviors in the distributions of τqτ_q for different thresholds qq. …

2008-07-11abs ↗pdf ↗

The paper analyzes competition among fund managers using excess logarithmic returns and constructs games to find optimal allocations.

problem Optimal allocation strategies among fund managers considering excess logarithmic returns.
method Constructs both nn-player and mean field games to address the competition problem.
result The MFE of the MFG represents the limit of nn-player game's equilibrium as nn approaches infinity.

We investigate scaling and memory effects in return intervals between price volatilities above a certain threshold qq for the Japanese stock market using daily and intraday data sets. We find that the distribution of return intervals can be approximated by a scaling function that depends only on the ratio between the …

2007-09-11abs ↗pdf ↗

Leveraged ETFs can outperform their targets in certain market conditions, contrary to the volatility drag hypothesis.

problem The long-term performance decay of leveraged ETFs due to volatility drag.
method Unified framework incorporating AR(1) and AR-GARCH models, continuous-time regime switching, and flexible rebalancing frequencies.
result Return dynamics, including return autocorrelation, volatility clustering, and regime persistence, determine LETF performance.

The vector of periodic, compound returns of a typical investment portfolio is almost never a convex combination of the return vectors of the securities in the portfolio. As a result the ex post version of Harry Markowitz's "standard mean-variance portfolio selection model" does not apply to compound return data. We pro…

2011-04-28abs ↗pdf ↗

We study how trading costs are reflected in equilibrium returns. To this end, we develop a tractable continuous-time risk-sharing model, where heterogeneous mean-variance investors trade subject to a quadratic transaction cost. The corresponding equilibrium is characterized as the unique solution of a system of coupled…

2017-07-26abs ↗pdf ↗

This note finds closed-form solutions for mean-risk portfolios using a specific type of mixture distribution.

problem Finding optimal portfolios under mean-risk criteria for general distributions.
method Using normal mean-variance mixture (NMVM) distributions, the paper derives closed-form expressions for mean-risk frontiers by optimizing a Markowitz model with adjusted return vectors.
result Closed-form solutions for mean-risk portfolios are found for return vectors following NMVM distributions.

This paper extends liquidity returns in geometric mean markets to time-varying weights.

problem Understanding returns and no-arbitrage prices in geometric mean markets with time-varying weights.
method Extending known results for constant-weight G3Ms to the general case of G3Ms with time-varying and potentially stochastic weights.
result LP shares can replicate the payoffs of financial derivatives and various trading strategies.

The paper introduces new portfolio rules beyond mean-variance, addressing asymmetry and uncertainty.

problem Optimizing portfolios with asymmetric returns and uncertainty in expected returns.
method Derives allocation rules for asymmetric Laplace distributed returns and random normal expected returns. Addresses singular covariance matrices and uncertainty in returns.
result Optimal worst-case scenario solution provides a convex alternative to risk parity, improving portfolio stability.

We introduce performance-based regularization (PBR), a new approach to addressing estimation risk in data-driven optimization, to mean-CVaR portfolio optimization. We assume the available log-return data is iid, and detail the approach for two cases: nonparametric and parametric (the log-return distribution belongs in …

2011-11-09abs ↗pdf ↗

This study investigates how Decision-Focused Learning improves stock return predictions for better portfolio optimization.

problem The challenge of precise expected returns estimation in mean-variance optimization.
method Investigates Decision-Focused Learning (DFL) to adjust stock return prediction models for MVO.
result DFL tilts prediction errors by the inverse covariance matrix, leading to systematic prediction biases in portfolio optimization.

This paper considers mean-variance optimization under uncertainty, specifically when one desires a sparsified set of optimal portfolio weights. From the standpoint of a Bayesian investor, our approach produces a small portfolio from many potential assets while acknowledging uncertainty in asset returns and parameter es…

2015-12-08abs ↗pdf ↗

The leverage effect refers to the generally negative correlation between the return of an asset and the changes in its volatility. There is broad agreement in the literature that the effect should be present for theoretical reasons, and it has been consistently found in empirical work. However, a few papers have pointe…

2019-09-18abs ↗pdf ↗

Improved portfolio optimization using VaR and CVaR with NMVM models.

problem Optimizing portfolios with VaR and CVaR under NMVM distributions.
method Transformed mean-CVaR-skewness problems into quadratic optimization with closed-form solutions for NMVM models.
result Approximate closed-form expressions for VaR and CVaR of NMVM portfolios.

This study evaluates shrinkage estimators for improving mean and covariance in portfolio optimization.

problem Estimation errors in expected returns and covariance matrix in mean-variance model.
method Examined five shrinkage estimators for expected returns and eleven for covariance matrix across six datasets.
result GMV model with Ledoit Wolf COV2 outperforms traditional methods in most scenarios.

The price of electricity is far more volatile than that of other commodities normally noted for extreme volatility. The possibility of extreme price movements increases the risk of trading in electricity markets. However, underlying the process of price returns is a strong mean-reverting mechanism. We study this featur…

2001-03-30abs ↗pdf ↗

Investors can achieve optimal risk-reward trade-offs with bonds and stocks under mean-reverting stock returns.

problem Optimizing investment strategies with mean-reverting stock returns.
method Calculus of variations to derive the entire family of extremal strategies, not just the optimal ones.
result The value of the portfolio is effectively bounded from below, providing a 'guarantee' on the horizon.

Quantile TD learning outperforms classical TD learning for value estimation.

problem Temporal-difference learning in reinforcement learning.
method Quantile Temporal-Difference Learning (QTD) for policy evaluation.
result QTD offers superior performance to classical TD learning, even in tabular settings.

Investors benefit from long horizons in a market with mean-reverting equity returns.

problem Optimal portfolio choice in a market with mean-reverting risk-free rate and equity risk-premium.
method Mean-variance optimization, Euler-Lagrange equation, Calculus of Variations, spectral problem.
result Optimal policies are characterized by eigenvalues of the lambda-matrix, leading to better risk-return trade-offs for long-term investors.

Method learns statistics of return distributions via neural networks and maximum mean discrepancy.

problem Learning probability distributions in reinforcement learning.
method Maximum mean discrepancy (MMD) for learning unrestricted statistics of return distributions.
result Method outperforms standard distributional RL baselines on Atari games.

The main objective is to present a some variant of the Black - Litterman model. We consider the canonical case when priori return is determined by means such excess return from the CAPM market portfolio which is derived using reverse optimization method. Then the a priori return is at risk quantified uncertainty. On th…

2016-01-03abs ↗pdf ↗

Study optimal portfolio choice with risk control for log-returns.

problem Optimal portfolio choice with risk management in continuous-time markets.
method Characterized optimal terminal wealth using concave envelope, derived analytical expressions for optimal wealth and policy, found efficient frontier.
result Efficient frontier is concave curve connecting minimum-risk to growth-optimal portfolios, not a vertical line.

We propose a model for equity trading in a population of agents where each agent acts to achieve his or her target stock-to-bond ratio, and, as a feedback mechanism, follows a market adaptive strategy. In this model only a fraction of agents participates in buying and selling stock during a trading period, while the re…

2018-09-25abs ↗pdf ↗

The paper uses PCA and HMM to forecast stock returns outperforming buy-and-hold.

problem Predicting stock returns accurately.
method Applied PCA to covariance matrix of S&P 500 stocks, used HMM on principal components, and forecasted stock returns.
result The model outperforms buy-and-hold strategy in terms of annualized Sharpe ratio.

CV outperforms mean-variance for stock returns, minimizing risk and maximizing growth.

problem Traditional risk assessment methods underperform in stock market analysis.
method Derived new CV equation and used it to analyze stock performance.
result Stocks with low but positive CV grow exponentially, outperforming high-risk stocks.

Temporal difference methods enable efficient estimation of value functions in reinforcement learning in an incremental fashion, and are of broader interest because they correspond learning as observed in biological systems. Standard value functions correspond to the expected value of a sum of discounted returns. While …

2019-07-05abs ↗pdf ↗

The paper links labor income risk to stock returns using industry portfolio returns.

problem Understanding the impact of sectoral shifts on stock returns.
method Using cross-industry dispersion (CID) as a proxy for unemployment risk, the paper examines the relationship between stock returns and the sensitivity of returns to CID innovations.
result Stocks with high sensitivity to CID have lower expected returns, suggesting they are more exposed to sectoral shifts and unemployment risk.

Deep reinforcement learning improves trading performance with predictable returns.

problem Improving trading performance in financial markets with low signal-to-noise ratio.
method Investigates model-free deep reinforcement learning traders in a market with known mean-reverting factors.
result DRL agents outperform benchmarks in misspecified price dynamics and extreme events.

Modified Jones-Faddy skew t-distribution captures asymmetry in stock returns.

problem Negative skew and positive mean in stock returns due to broken symmetry of stochastic volatility.
method Modified Jones-Faddy skew t-distribution applied to split gains and losses, using stochastic differential equations for stock returns and volatility.
result The modified distribution effectively captures the asymmetry in daily S&P500 returns, including its tails.

American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) are exchange-traded certificates that rep- resent shares of non-U.S. company securities. They are major financial instruments for investing in foreign companies. Focusing on Asian ADRs in the context of asyn- chronous markets, we present methodologies and results of empirical analysi…

2016-10-29abs ↗pdf ↗

Paper introduces dynamic strategies for multi-period investment models.

problem Optimizing investment strategies over multiple periods with risk and return considerations.
method Developed a Bellman principle for discrete time multi-period mean-variance models, leading to dynamic optimal strategies and efficient frontiers.
result Dynamic optimal strategies can achieve higher returns with lower risk compared to the 1/n strategy.