The Application of Deep Reinforcement Learning in Stock Trading Models

Abstract

Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL), which integrates the perceptual strength of Deep Learning (DL) with the determination strength of Reinforcement Learning (RL), has emerged as an advanced approach in stock trading. This article focuses on summarizing the research on DRL in stock trading over the past five years, with an emphasis on state definition, action design, reward design, and algorithm selection in stock trading models. Many studies have found that the use of DRL in stock trading can effectively improve investment returns and profitability. In the last years, the adoption of DRL in the stock market has increased and researchers have achieved higher returns and substantial profits through continuous model optimization. However, current research on DRL models faces challenges because of the need for large amounts of complex and uncertain stock market data and the impacts of market volatility and the influence of information asymmetry. This review compares the discrepancies in processing logic among various studies and summarizes the progress made in existing research. It also explores the current challenges and limitations, and discusses potential improvement directions for DRL models in stock trading.