Foundation Time-Series AI Model for Realized Volatility Forecasting

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Goel, Anubha, Pasricha, Puneet, Magris, Martin, Kanniainen, Juho
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Goel, Anubha
Pasricha, Puneet
Magris, Martin
Kanniainen, Juho
author_facet Goel, Anubha
Pasricha, Puneet
Magris, Martin
Kanniainen, Juho
contents Time series foundation models (FMs) have emerged as a popular paradigm for zero-shot multi-domain forecasting. These models are trained on numerous diverse datasets and claim to be effective forecasters across multiple different time series domains, including financial data. In this study, we evaluate the effectiveness of FMs, specifically the TimesFM model, for volatility forecasting, a core task in financial risk management. We first evaluate TimesFM in its pretrained (zero-shot) form, followed by our custom fine-tuning procedure based on incremental learning, and compare the resulting models against standard econometric benchmarks. While the pretrained model provides a reasonable baseline, our findings show that incremental fine-tuning, which allows the model to adapt to new financial return data over time, is essential for learning volatility patterns effectively. Fine-tuned variants not only improve forecast accuracy but also statistically outperform traditional models, as demonstrated through Diebold-Mariano and Giacomini-White tests. These results highlight the potential of foundation models as scalable and adaptive tools for financial forecasting-capable of delivering strong performance in dynamic market environments when paired with targeted fine-tuning strategies.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2505_11163
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Foundation Time-Series AI Model for Realized Volatility Forecasting
Goel, Anubha
Pasricha, Puneet
Magris, Martin
Kanniainen, Juho
Risk Management
Statistical Finance
Time series foundation models (FMs) have emerged as a popular paradigm for zero-shot multi-domain forecasting. These models are trained on numerous diverse datasets and claim to be effective forecasters across multiple different time series domains, including financial data. In this study, we evaluate the effectiveness of FMs, specifically the TimesFM model, for volatility forecasting, a core task in financial risk management. We first evaluate TimesFM in its pretrained (zero-shot) form, followed by our custom fine-tuning procedure based on incremental learning, and compare the resulting models against standard econometric benchmarks. While the pretrained model provides a reasonable baseline, our findings show that incremental fine-tuning, which allows the model to adapt to new financial return data over time, is essential for learning volatility patterns effectively. Fine-tuned variants not only improve forecast accuracy but also statistically outperform traditional models, as demonstrated through Diebold-Mariano and Giacomini-White tests. These results highlight the potential of foundation models as scalable and adaptive tools for financial forecasting-capable of delivering strong performance in dynamic market environments when paired with targeted fine-tuning strategies.
title Foundation Time-Series AI Model for Realized Volatility Forecasting
topic Risk Management
Statistical Finance
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.11163