Automated stock picking using random forests

Christian Breitung

Journal of Empirical Finance, 2023, vol. 72, issue C, 532-556

Abstract: We derive a stock ranking by applying a technical features-based random forest model on an international dataset of liquid stocks. Rather than predicted return, our ranking is based on outperformance probability. By applying a decile split, we find that long–short portfolios achieve Sharpe ratios of up to 1.95 and a highly significant yearly six-factor alpha of up to 21.79%. Moreover, we show that outperformance probabilities serve as a superior measure of future returns in the context of portfolio optimization. Mean–variance portfolios using this measure are less volatile and more profitable than equally- or value-weighted portfolios. Our findings are robust to firm size, regional restrictions, and non-crisis periods and cannot be explained by limits to arbitrage.

Keywords: Stock picking; Machine learning; Random forest; Portfolio optimization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0927539823000452
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:empfin:v:72:y:2023:i:c:p:532-556

DOI: 10.1016/j.jempfin.2023.05.001

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Empirical Finance is currently edited by R. T. Baillie, F. C. Palm, Th. J. Vermaelen and C. C. P. Wolff

More articles in Journal of Empirical Finance from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().