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We study model-driven statistical arbitrage in US equities. Trading signals are generated in two ways: using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) or regressing stock returns on sector Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). In both cases, the idiosyncratic returns are modelled as mean-reverting processes, which leads naturally to ‘contrarian’ strategies. We construct, back-test and compare market-neutral PCA- and ETF-based strat…
We present a new method for articulating scale-dependent topological descriptions of the network structure inherent in many complex systems. The technique is based on "Partition Decoupled Null Models,'' a new class of null models that incorporate the interaction of clustered partitions into a random model and generalize the Gaussian ensemble. As an application we analyze a correlation matrix derived from four years o…
Financial markets alternate between periods of relative stability and instability, with structural breaks marking the transitions between these regimes. Identifying such breaks in real time is a central requirement for any trading or risk system operating at high frequency. This report studies Bayesian Online Changepoint Detection (BOCPD) and two extensions proposed in the literature, and applies them to the signed o…
We study whether nuclear and energy-adjacent equity options exhibit a harvestable variance risk premium. Using CRSP and OptionMetrics data for 2000-2024, we construct a systematic cash-secured short-put strategy on a curated universe of nuclear-related firms. The strategy compares at-the-money put implied volatility with GARCH-based realized volatility forecasts, then evaluates unconditional and IV/RV-filtered put-wr…
This paper examines whether SEC Form 4 insider purchase filings predict abnormal returns in U.S. microcap stocks. The analysis covers 17,237 open-market purchases across 1,343 issuers from 2018 through 2024, restricted to market capitalizations between \$30M and \$500M. A gradient boosting classifier trained on insider identity, transaction history, and market conditions at disclosure achieves AUC of 0.70 on out-of-s…
We study a systematic approach to a popular Statistical Arbitrage technique: Pairs Trading. Instead of relying on two highly correlated assets, we replace the second asset with a replication of the first using risk factor representations. These factors are obtained through Principal Components Analysis (PCA), exchange traded funds (ETFs), and, as our main contribution, Long Short Term Memory networks (LSTMs). Residua…
In this paper, we consider three stochastic-volatility models, each characterized by distinct dynamics of instantaneous volatility: (1) a CIR process for squared volatility (i.e., the classical Heston model); (2) a mean-reverting lognormal process for volatility; and (3) a CIR process for volatility. Previous research has provided semi-analytical approximations for these models in the form of simple (non-mean-reverti…
The study seeks to develop an effective strategy based on the novel framework of statistical arbitrage based on graph clustering algorithms. Amalgamation of quantitative and machine learning methods, including the Kelly criterion, and an ensemble of machine learning classifiers have been used to improve risk-adjusted returns and increase immunity to transaction costs over existing approaches. The study seeks to provi…
Foundation models have transformed domains from language to genomics by learning general-purpose representations from large-scale, heterogeneous data. We introduce TradeFM, a 524M-parameter generative Transformer that brings this paradigm to market microstructure, learning directly from billions of trade events across >9K equities. To enable cross-asset generalization, we develop scale-invariant features and a univer…
We introduce a structural framework for the geometry of financial order books in which liquidity, supply, and demand are treated as emergent observables rather than primitive market variables. The market is modeled as a relational substrate without assumed metric, temporal, or price coordinates. Observable quantities arise only through observation, implemented here as a reduction of relational degrees of freedom foll…
We propose a structural framework for the geometry of financial order books in which liquidity, supply, and demand are treated as emergent observables rather than primitive economic variables. The market is modeled as an inflationary relational system without assumed metric, temporal, or price coordinates. Observable quantities arise only through projection, implemented here via spectral embeddings of the graph Lapla…
We develop a rigorous walk-forward validation framework for algorithmic trading designed to mitigate overfitting and lookahead bias. Our methodology combines interpretable hypothesis-driven signal generation with reinforcement learning and strict out-of-sample testing. The framework enforces strict information set discipline, employs rolling window validation across 34 independent test periods, maintains complete int…
We investigate the application of quantum cognition machine learning (QCML), a novel paradigm for both supervised and unsupervised learning tasks rooted in the mathematical formalism of quantum theory, to distance metric learning in corporate bond markets. Compared to equities, corporate bonds are relatively illiquid and both trade and quote data in these securities are relatively sparse. Thus, a measure of distance/…
Mid-cap companies, generally valued between \$2 billion and \$10 billion, provide investors with a well-rounded opportunity between the fluctuation of small-cap stocks and the stability of large-cap stocks. This research builds upon the long-short equity approach (e.g., Michaud, 2018; Dimitriu, Alexander, 2002) customized for mid-cap equities, providing steady risk-adjusted returns yielding a significant Sharpe ratio…
It is widely known that the common risk-factors derived from PCA beyond the first eigenportfolio are generally difficult to interpret and thus to use in practical portfolio management. We explore a alternative approach (HPCA) which makes strong use of the partition of the market into sectors. We show that this approach leads to no loss of information with respect to PCA in the case of equities (constituents of the S&…
This study examines active liquidity management by Indian open-ended equity mutual funds. We find that fund managers respond to inflows by increasing cash holdings, which are later used to purchase less-liquid stocks at favourable valuations. Funds with less liquid portfolios tend to maintain larger cash reserves to manage flows. Funds that make active liquidity choices yield statistically and economically significan…
We postulates, and then show experimentally, that liquidity deficit is the driving force of the markets. In the first part of the paper a kinematic of liquidity deficit is developed. The calculus-like approach, which is based on Radon--Nikodym derivatives and their generalization, allows us to calculate important characteristics of observable market dynamics. In the second part of the paper this calculus is used in a…
This paper introduces a new risk-on risk-off strategy for the stock market, which combines a financial stress indicator with a sentiment analysis done by ChatGPT reading and interpreting Bloomberg daily market summaries. Forecasts of market stress derived from volatility and credit spreads are enhanced when combined with the financial news sentiment derived from GPT-4. As a result, the strategy shows improved perform…
KBW Bank Index tracks the equity performance of major U.S. banks and provides insight into banking-sector health, credit transmission, and market confidence.
A CTA is a manager — often CFTC/NFA registered — that runs client money in futures and options on futures, long and short, across rates, FX, equities, and commodities.
TINA — There Is No Alternative — was the 2010s slogan that zero rates left no choice but equities (or credit), compressing risk premia because cash paid nothing.
Equity Risk Premium measures the excess return investors expect from equities over risk-free assets and is a core framework for evaluating relative equity valuation.
S&P 500 Earnings Yield measures expected earnings relative to price and is useful for assessing valuation and comparing equities with bond yields.
A Financial Conditions Index aggregates variables such as rates, credit spreads, equities, and the dollar to measure how supportive or restrictive the market environment is for growth and risk assets.
The same BAB recipe on country indexes or international stocks — low-beta vs high-beta outside the US single-name tape.
Hold equities November–April and step aside May–October — the two-season calendar, also called the Halloween indicator.
The same BAB recipe on country indexes or international stocks — low-beta vs high-beta outside the US single-name tape.
A CTA is a manager — often CFTC/NFA registered — that runs client money in futures and options on futures, long and short, across rates, FX, equities, and commodities.
Equity Risk Premium measures the excess return investors expect from equities over risk-free assets and is a core framework for evaluating relative equity valuation.
A Financial Conditions Index aggregates variables such as rates, credit spreads, equities, and the dollar to measure how supportive or restrictive the market environment is for growth and risk assets.
Hold equities November–April and step aside May–October — the two-season calendar, also called the Halloween indicator.
S&P 500 Earnings Yield measures expected earnings relative to price and is useful for assessing valuation and comparing equities with bond yields.
TINA — There Is No Alternative — was the 2010s slogan that zero rates left no choice but equities (or credit), compressing risk premia because cash paid nothing.