From Economic Explanation to Performance Improvement in Machine-Learning Portfolios

Yunqi Liang, Stefan Zohren and Mihai Cucuringu

Papers from arXiv.org

Abstract: To extend conventional model-level feature importance to economically meaningful portfolio outcomes and decisions, we propose a local first-order attribution-propagation framework that maps allocation-function feature exposures to local sensitivities of sequential portfolio performance metrics. We relate the propagated attributions to Shapley values defined directly for portfolio objectives and derive statistical inference for Sharpe-ratio attributions. The resulting attribution-guided feature-exposure intervention enables post-training adaptation, translating portfolio-metric explanations into out-of-sample decisions without retraining the underlying allocation model. We further introduce temporal stabilisation and cross-model averaging as complementary regularisation mechanisms. Empirically, the interventions yield statistically significant improvements in net Sharpe ratios across different model classes.

Date: 2026-10
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