Continuous-time reinforcement learning for optimal switching over multiple regimes

Fuente: arXiv
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Autores principales: Huang, Yijie, Li, Mengge, Yu, Xiang, Zhou, Zhou
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2025
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author Huang, Yijie
Li, Mengge
Yu, Xiang
Zhou, Zhou
author_facet Huang, Yijie
Li, Mengge
Yu, Xiang
Zhou, Zhou
contents This paper studies the continuous-time reinforcement learning (RL) for optimal switching problems across multiple regimes. We consider a type of exploratory formulation under entropy regularization where the agent randomizes both the timing of switches and the selection of regimes through the generator matrix of an associated continuous-time finite-state Markov chain. We establish the well-posedness of the associated system of Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equations and provide a characterization of the optimal policy. The policy improvement and the convergence of the policy iterations are rigorously established by analyzing the system of equations. We also show the convergence of the value function in the exploratory formulation towards the value function in the classical formulation as the temperature parameter vanishes. Finally, a reinforcement learning algorithm is devised and implemented by invoking the policy evaluation based on the martingale characterization. Our numerical examples with the aid of neural networks illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed RL algorithm.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_04697
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Continuous-time reinforcement learning for optimal switching over multiple regimes
Huang, Yijie
Li, Mengge
Yu, Xiang
Zhou, Zhou
Optimization and Control
Machine Learning
Computational Finance
This paper studies the continuous-time reinforcement learning (RL) for optimal switching problems across multiple regimes. We consider a type of exploratory formulation under entropy regularization where the agent randomizes both the timing of switches and the selection of regimes through the generator matrix of an associated continuous-time finite-state Markov chain. We establish the well-posedness of the associated system of Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equations and provide a characterization of the optimal policy. The policy improvement and the convergence of the policy iterations are rigorously established by analyzing the system of equations. We also show the convergence of the value function in the exploratory formulation towards the value function in the classical formulation as the temperature parameter vanishes. Finally, a reinforcement learning algorithm is devised and implemented by invoking the policy evaluation based on the martingale characterization. Our numerical examples with the aid of neural networks illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed RL algorithm.
title Continuous-time reinforcement learning for optimal switching over multiple regimes
topic Optimization and Control
Machine Learning
Computational Finance
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.04697