The level of daily stock returns is generally regarded as unpredictable. Instead of the level, we focus on the signs of these returns and generate forecasts using various statistical classification techniques, such as logistic regression, generalized additive models, or neural networks. The...

An asset pricing model is customarily evaluated by how well it explains means of returns. But how well the model explains fluctuations of returns is similarly important though often overlooked in the literature. We derive “efficient” factors that combine both objectives and turn out to...

Machine learning (ML) is a novel method that has applications in asset pricing and that fits well within the problem of measurement in economics. Unlike econometrics, ML models are not designed for parameter estimation and inference, but similar to econometrics, they address, and may be better...

This paper shows that oil price changes, measured as short-term futures returns, are a strong predictor of excess stock returns at short horizons. Ours is a leading variable for the business cycle and exhibits low persistence which avoids the ctitious long-horizon predictability associated to...

If prices of assets are not aligned to their net present value, a trading strategy may be implemented when actual prices revert to fundamentals. This hypothesis is informally tested in real-time using a trading strategy which consists of identifying whether the equity index is over or under-...

Machine learning (ML) is a novel method that has applications in asset pricing and that fits well within the problem of measurement in economics. Unlike econometrics, ML models are not designed for parameter estimation and inference, but similar to econometrics, they address, and may be better...

This paper presents a new agent-based financial market. It is designed to be both simple enough to gain insights into the nature and structure of what is going on at both the agent and macro levels, but remain rich enough to allow for many interesting evolutionary experiments. The model is...

Evolutionary metaphors have been prominent in both economics and finance. They are often used as basic foundations for rational behavior and efficient markets. Theoretically, a mechanism which selects for rational investors requires many caveats, and is far from generic. This paper tests wealth...

The monetary unit assumption of financial accounting assumes a stable currency (i.e., constant purchasing power over time). Yet, even during periods of low inflation or deflation, nominal financial statements violate this assumption. I posit that, while the effects of inflation are not...

Despite the fact that an intraday market price distribution is not normal, the random walk model of price behaviour is as important for the understanding of basic principles of the market as the pendulum model is a starting point of many fundamental theories in physics. This model is a good zero...