Quant Mashup - Quant Start
Quantocracy is now on Bluesky and Threads. See the links in the header. - Mike
Vasicek Model Simulation with Python [Quant Start]
Recently on QuantStart we wrote a tutorial article that discussed the mean-reverting Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process, outlining some of its applications as well as providing some Python snippets to generate sample paths. In this article we are going to introduce the Vasicek Model, which is example of a
- 1 month ago, 29 Sep 2024, 03:23am -
Ornstein-Uhlenbeck Simulation with Python [Quant Start]
Some time ago on QuantStart we wrote an article on generating Brownian Motion paths for simulating stock price assets. In this tutorial article we are going to consider a more advanced stochastic process model known as the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (OU) process that can be used to model time series that
- 1 month ago, 23 Sep 2024, 09:44pm -
Python Libraries for Quantitative Trading [Quant Start]
For anyone looking to dive into the world of quantitative finance and systematic trading, Python is an indispensable tool. As the go-to programming language for many quant developers, Python offers a vast ecosystem of libraries that streamline everything from data analysis to strategy execution.
- 2 months ago, 4 Sep 2024, 09:19pm -
Momentum Top N with Docker, Jupyter and QSTrader [Quant Start]
In the previous tutorial we set up a backtesting environment using the QSTrader backtesting framework inside a Jupyter Notebook. We isolated this research environment and its dependencies using Docker, with Docker Compose. In this article we will show you how to implement one of the example
- 5 months ago, 25 May 2024, 03:15am -
Brownian Motion Simulation with Python [Quant Start]
In this article we will explore simulation of Brownian Motions, one of the most fundamental concepts in derivatives pricing. Brownian Motion is a mathematical model used to simulate the behaviour of asset prices for the purposes of pricing options contracts. A typical means of pricing such options
- 11 months ago, 10 Dec 2023, 07:24pm -
Calculating Realised Volatility with Polygon Forex data [Quant Start]
In the previous article we wrote a Python function which utilised the Polygon API to extract a month of minutely data for both a major (EURUSD) and exotic (MZXZAR) FX pair. We plotted the returns series and looked at some of the issues that can occur when working with this type of data. This article
- 1 year ago, 29 Jun 2023, 05:03am -
Creating a Returns Series with @Polygon_io Forex Data [Quant Start]
In this article we will access the Polygon API and download a month of intraday minutely Forex data. We will show you how to access the API, creating a Python function that can be easily adapted to extract FX data for various pairs across different timespans. We will also create and visualise a
- 1 year ago, 19 May 2023, 12:31am -
Candlestick Subplots with Plotly and the AlphaVantage API [Quant Start]
AlphaVantage were founded in 2017 following the demise of the Yahoo Finance API. They offer OHLC data on 100,000+ securities, ETFs and mutual funds. Along with Forex, Crypto and Fundamental data, all accessible via their REST API. They offer free or premium membership which depend on the number API
- 1 year ago, 8 Mar 2023, 08:32pm -
Building a Raspberry Pi Cluster for QSTrader Using SLURM - Part 5 [Quant Start]
In the previous article we created a virtual environment and installed QSTrader on all our secondary nodes. We then carried out a test of the sixty forty strategy across all secondary nodes to make sure our installation had been successful. Now that we have successfully paralellised QSTrader we can
- 1 year ago, 7 Dec 2022, 10:27pm -
Building a Raspberry Pi Cluster for QSTrader Using SLURM - Part 4 [Quant Start]
In the previous article in this series we installed and configured SLURM to enable us to parellelise work loads. In this article we will be using SLURM to install QSTrader on all our secondary nodes. This will enable us to multiple run parameter sweeps for backtests of single or multiple strategies
- 2 years ago, 11 Oct 2022, 10:14am -
Geometric Brownian Motion Simulation with Python [Quant Start]
Generating synthetic data is an extremely useful technique in quantitative finance. It provides the ability to assess behaviour on models using data with known behaviours. This has a myriad of applications, such as testing backtesting simulators for correct functional behaiour as well as allowing
- 2 years ago, 17 Aug 2022, 08:53pm -
Evaluating Data Coverage with Tiingo [Quant Start]
In this article we will be introducting Tiingo, a data and stock market tools provider. Founded in 2014 Tiingo aims to empower its users by providing good, clean and more accurate data. They offer OHLCV data for 82,468 Global Securities, 37,319 US & Chinese Stocks 45,149 ETFs & Mutual Funds.
- 2 years ago, 2 Jun 2022, 12:07pm -
An Introduction to Stooq Pricing Data [Quant Start]
In the previous article we learnt how to setup a prototyping environment for algorithmic trading using Jupyter Notebooks. We used Yahoo data with Pandas DataReader. In this article we will be looking at another free market data provider Stooq. If you would like to follow along with the tutorial and
- 2 years ago, 12 Apr 2022, 09:59pm -
Creating an Algorithmic Trading Prototyping Environment with Jupyter Notebooks and Plotly [Quant Start]
In the previous article we installed Python and set up our virtual environment. We then used pandas-datareader directly in the python terminal in order to import some equities OHLC data and plot five years of the adjusted close price. This was accomplished in a few lines of code. However, once we
- 2 years ago, 3 Mar 2022, 10:03am -
Understanding Equities Data [Quant Start]
In this brief tutorial we will take a look at the different aspects of end-of-day equities data. We will develop an understanding of what the Open, High, Low and Close (OHLC) prices mean, as well as discuss the traded Volume. We will look at how a typical Adjusted Close price is calculated and the
- 3 years ago, 10 Nov 2021, 09:42am -
Building a Raspberry Pi Cluster for QSTrader using SLURM - Part 1 [Quant Start]
When carrying out systematic trading strategy research one of the main steps is to optimise a collection of strategy parameters to maximise or minimise some objective function. A simple example would be optimising the lookback parameters of the 'fast' and 'slow' moving averages
- 3 years ago, 22 Oct 2021, 01:56am -
Simple versus Advanced Systematic Trading Strategies - Which is Better? [Quant Start]
An age-old question in the quant community asks whether systematic traders should stick with simple quant strategies or expend the effort to implement more advanced approaches. It is often the perception that retail algo traders solely utilise simpler strategies while quantitative hedge funds carry
- 3 years ago, 5 Jan 2021, 10:40am -
QuantStart News - August 2020 [Quant Start]
A couple of months ago we started a new set of posts designed to keep the QuantStart community aware of what the QuantStart team had been up to in previous month. In last month's post we discussed what we had been working on in July 2020. Articles and Tutorials In August we once again reviewed
- 4 years ago, 16 Sep 2020, 11:27am -
Sigma Algebras and Probability Spaces [Quant Start]
Our recent 2020 Content Survey highlighted the desire from many of you to study the more advanced mathematics necessary for carrying out applications in quantitative finance. Two of the highlighted areas were Linear Algebra for Deep Learning along with Stochastic Calculus. The latter is the
- 4 years ago, 25 Aug 2020, 12:36pm -
Training the Perceptron with Scikit-Learn and TensorFlow [Quant Start]
In the previous article on the topic of artificial neural networks we introduced the concept of the perceptron. We demonstrated that the perceptron was capable of classifying input data via a linear decision boundary. However we postponed a discussion on how to calculate the parameters that govern
- 4 years ago, 24 Aug 2020, 10:24am -
Connecting to the Interactive Brokers Native Python API [Quant Start]
Interactive Brokers has always been a popular brokerage with systematic traders. Initially this could partially be attributed to the fact that IB provided an Application Programming Interface (API) that allowed quants to obtain market data and place trades directly in code. Many competing brokerages
- 4 years ago, 29 Jul 2020, 01:04pm -
Introduction to Artificial Neural Networks and the Perceptron [Quant Start]
In this article we begin our discussion of artificial neural networks (ANN). We first motivate the need for a deep learning based approach within quantitative finance. Then we outline one of the most elementary neural networks known as the perceptron. We discuss the architecture of the perceptron
- 4 years ago, 24 Jul 2020, 08:28am -
Installing TensorFlow 2.2 on Ubuntu 18.04 with an Nvidia GPU [Quant Start]
Earlier in the year we carried out our 2020 QuantStart Content Survey and Advanced Machine Learning & Deep Learning was voted the most popular topic. This article constitutes the first in a series on the topic of modern machine learning via deep learning as applied to systematic trading
- 4 years ago, 16 Jul 2020, 12:29pm -
Periodically Rebalanced Static Allocation 'Buy and Hold' Strategies in QSTrader [Quant Start]
For those systematic traders who are considering a long-term investment horizon one of the most common forms of generating a portfolio involves static proportional capital allocation amongst a collection of (hopefully) diversifying asset classes, which is periodically rebalanced to maintain the
- 4 years ago, 19 May 2020, 10:30am -
How to Learn Advanced Mathematics Without Heading to University - Part 4 [Quant Start]
It has been some time since wrote Parts I, II and III of our popular series of articles on How to Learn Advanced Mathematics Without Heading to University. Many of you have contacted us asking for the final Part IV of the series. We have now completed our internal research and can present our view
- 4 years ago, 4 Feb 2020, 11:33am -
The 60/40 Benchmark Portfolio [Quant Start]
In a recent article we introduced systematic tactical asset allocation (TAA) as a low-frequency example of quantitative trading strategy. For those who are taking their first steps in systematic trading, are wanting to consider systematic trading in the context of their retirement planning or are
- 4 years ago, 5 Dec 2019, 10:53am -
Systematic Tactical Asset Allocation: An Introduction [Quant Start]
Systematic trading is often synonymous with short-term trading frequencies in the retail quant trading space. Daily and intraday strategies tend to receive the bulk of the community's attention. The popularity of systematic cryptocurrency trading has put a further emphasis on short term trading
- 5 years ago, 20 Nov 2019, 09:33am -
Hiring a Software Developer to Code Up a Trading Strategy [Quant Start]
At QuantStart we place an emphasis on fully automated systematic trading and the processes that surround it. However we should be careful to distinguish between the separate concepts of systemisation and automation. The former involves a trading strategy that can be codified into a set of rules,
- 5 years ago, 14 Nov 2019, 09:01am -
Engineering To Quant Finance - How To Make The Transition [Quant Start]
At QuantStart we often receive email queries about the possibility of making a career transition to quantitative finance, particularly for individuals who currently consider themselves mid-career. In a more general sense we have previously discussed whether it is possible to become a quant during
- 5 years ago, 5 Nov 2019, 08:15pm -
Installing TensorFlow on Ubuntu 16.04 with an Nvidia GPU [Quant Start]
Any serious quant trading research with machine learning models necessitates the use of a framework that abstracts away the model implementation from the model specification. This is particularly crucial for deep learning techniques as production-grade models require training on GPUs to make them
- 6 years ago, 30 Nov 2017, 09:42pm -
QSTrader: November 2017 Update [Quant Start]
Last month I presented a detailed roadmap for the redevelopment of QSTrader, our open-source systematic trading simulation engine. Today I want to discuss our progress in the month since that article was published and what still remains to be completed prior to the initial 0.1.0 alpha release.
- 6 years ago, 26 Nov 2017, 09:33pm -
QSTrader: A Major Update On Our Progress [Quant Start]
I spoke at the Open Data Science London conference last weekend on the topic of becoming a quant. Part of the talk was aimed at educating practising data scientists on the fact that quantitative finance firms do actually contribute to, and create, many open source projects. One such project is
- 7 years ago, 18 Oct 2017, 10:32am -
Capital Raising for Early Stage Quant Fund Managers - Part I [Quant Start]
This is the first in a two part series of articles written by Frank Smietana, an expert guest contributor to QuantStart. In this article Frank takes a look at how early-stage quantitative hedge fund managers can go about looking to secure their first institutional allocation of capital. Please be
- 7 years ago, 3 Oct 2017, 10:57pm -
High Frequency Trading III: Optimal Execution [Quant Start]
In this article series Imanol Pérez, a PhD researcher in Mathematics at Oxford University, and an expert guest contributor to QuantStart outlines the basics of high-frequency trading. In this article Imanol uses the theory of stochastic optimal control to optimally execute a large trade order. It
- 7 years ago, 27 Sep 2017, 01:24pm -
High Frequency Trading II: Limit Order Book [Quant Start]
In this article series Imanol Pérez, a PhD researcher in Mathematics at Oxford University, and an expert guest contributor to QuantStart continues the discussion of high-frequency trading via the introduction of the limit order book. As we saw in the in the first article of the series, the
- 7 years ago, 12 Sep 2017, 01:23pm -
Best Operating System For Quant Trading? [Quant Start]
One question that I am asked frequently is which operating system to use for quantitative trading research and implementation. The short answer, as of the writing date of this article, is if you want to carry out any serious/mathematical quant trading research (machine learning/deep learning) you
- 7 years ago, 7 Sep 2017, 09:41am -
High Frequency Trading I: Introduction to Market Microstructure [Quant Start]
In this new article series Imanol Pérez, a PhD researcher in Mathematics at Oxford University, and an expert guest contributor to QuantStart delves into high-frequency trading and introduces the concept of market microstructure. Nowadays, a significant number of financial instruments are traded in
- 7 years ago, 22 Aug 2017, 12:25pm -
What Alternative Career Paths Exist For Quants? [Quant Start]
Recent graduates, postgraduates and those in early-career positions with a technical background are now faced with a wide choice of exciting and well-compensated career paths in a diverse set of industries. Quantitative finance remains an attractive option but the competition for top talent is
- 7 years ago, 15 Aug 2017, 11:27pm -
Derivatives Pricing III: Models driven by Lévy processes [Quant Start]
In this article series QuantStart returns to the discussion of pricing derivative securities, a topic which was covered a few years ago on the site through an introduction to stochastic calculus. Imanol Pérez, a PhD researcher in Mathematics at Oxford University, and an expert guest contributor to
- 7 years ago, 10 Aug 2017, 10:14am -
Derivatives Pricing II: Volatility Is Rough [Quant Start]
In this new article series QuantStart returns to the discussion of pricing derivative securities, a topic which was covered a few years ago on the site through an introduction to stochastic calculus. Imanol Pérez, a PhD researcher in Mathematics at Oxford University, and an expert guest contributor
- 7 years ago, 27 Jul 2017, 07:25am -
Backtesting Systematic Trading Strategies in Python: Considerations and Open Source Frameworks [Quant Start]
In this article Frank Smietana, one of QuantStart's expert guest contributors describes the Python open-source backtesting software landscape, and provides advice on which backtesting framework is suitable for your own project needs. Backtesting is arguably the most critical part of the
- 7 years ago, 18 Jul 2017, 10:46am -
Should You Buy or Rent a GPU-Based Deep Learning Machine for Quant Trading Research? [Quant Start]
We've recently been considering the field of deep learning as a modelling methodology for forming new quantitative trading models. Such models have been shown to be 'unreasonably effective' in the fields of computer vision, natural language processing and games of strategy. This
- 7 years ago, 26 Jun 2017, 11:06am -
Rough Path Theory and Signatures Applied To Quantitative Finance - Part 4 [Quant Start]
This is the fourth in a new advanced series of posts written by Imanol Pérez, a PhD researcher in Mathematics at Oxford University and an expert guest contributor to QuantStart. In this post Imanol applies the Theory of Rough Paths to the task of predicting which country a company belongs to based
- 7 years ago, 22 Jun 2017, 12:19pm -
Matrix Algebra - Linear Algebra for Deep Learning (Part 2) [Quant Start]
Last week I posted an article, which formed the first part in a series on Linear Algebra For Deep Learning. The response to the article was extremely positive, both in terms of feedback, article views and also more broadly on social media. Many of you commented that there was "an appetite"
- 7 years ago, 22 Jun 2017, 12:19pm -
Scalars, Vectors, Matrices and Tensors - Linear Algebra for Deep Learning (Part 1) [Quant Start]
Back in March we ran a content survey and found that many of you were interested in a refresher course for the key mathematical topics needed to understand deep learning and quant finance in general. Since deep learning is going to be a big part of this year's content we thought it would be
- 7 years ago, 15 Jun 2017, 09:56am -
Rough Path Theory and Signatures Applied To Quantitative Finance - Part 3 [Quant Start]
This is the third in a new advanced series of posts written by Imanol Pérez, a PhD researcher in Mathematics at Oxford University and an expert guest contributor to QuantStart. In this post Imanol applies the Theory of Rough Paths to the task of handwritten digit classification—a common task for
- 7 years ago, 7 Jun 2017, 11:42am -
What are the Different Types of Quant Funds? [Quant Start]
This is the third in a series of posts written by Frank Smietana, an expert guest contributor to QuantStart. In this detailed post Frank examines the different algorithmic trading strategies carried out by quantitative hedge funds. Click for parts one and two. - Mike. Institutional asset managers
- 7 years ago, 31 May 2017, 06:30pm -
Rough Path Theory and Signatures Applied To Quantitative Finance - Part 2 [Quant Start]
his is the second in a new advanced series of posts written by Imanol Pérez, a PhD researcher in Mathematics at Oxford University, and a new expert guest contributor to QuantStart. In this post Imanol continues the theoretical discussion of Rough Paths and Signatures and begins applying them within
- 7 years ago, 22 May 2017, 03:57am -
Setting up an Algorithmic Trading Business [Quant Start]
This is the second in a series of posts written by Frank Smietana, an expert guest contributor to QuantStart. In this detailed post Frank takes a look at the different ways in which an algorithmic trading business can be established—and why you might want to consider it. - Mike. Setting up an
- 7 years ago, 18 May 2017, 02:30am -
Rough Path Theory and Signatures Applied To Quantitative Finance - Part 1 [Quant Start]
To date QuantStart has generally written on topics that are applicable to the beginner or intermediate quant practitioner. However we have recently begun to receive requests from academics and advanced practitioners asking for more content on research-level topics. This is the first in a new series
- 7 years ago, 14 May 2017, 10:55am -