In this paper, we present a reproducible benchmarking framework that systematically compares QML models with architecture-matched classical counterparts across three financial tasks: (i) directional return prediction on U.S. and Turkish equities, (ii) live-trading simulation with Quantum LSTMs versus classical LSTMs on the S\&P 500, and (iii) realized volatility forecasting using Quantum Support Vector Regression. By standardizing data splits, features, and evaluation metrics, our study provides a fair assessment of when current-generation QML models can match or exceed classical methods. Our results reveal that quantum approaches show performance gains when data structure and circuit design are well aligned. In directional classification, hybrid quantum neural networks surpass the parameter-matched ANN by \textbf{+3.8 AUC} and \textbf{+3.4 accuracy points} on \texttt{AAPL} stock and by \textbf{+4.9 AUC} and \textbf{+3.6 accuracy points} on Turkish stock \texttt{KCHOL}. In live trading, the QLSTM achieves higher risk-adjusted returns in \textbf{two of four} S\&P~500 regimes. For volatility forecasting, an angle-encoded QSVR attains the \textbf{lowest QLIKE} on \texttt{KCHOL} and remains within $\sim$0.02-0.04 QLIKE of the best classical kernels on \texttt{S\&P~500} and \texttt{AAPL}. Our benchmarking framework clearly identifies the scenarios where current QML architectures offer tangible improvements and where established classical methods continue to dominate.
In this paper, we present a reproducible benchmarking framework that systematically compares QML models with architecture-matched classical counterparts across three financial tasks: (i) directional return prediction on U.S. and Turkish equities, (ii) live-trading simulation with Quantum LSTMs versus classical LSTMs on the S&P 500, and (iii) realized volatility forecasting using Quantum Support Vector Regression. By standardizing data splits, features, and evaluation metrics, our study provides a fair assessment of when current-generation QML models can match or exceed classical methods. Our results reveal that quantum approaches show performance gains when data structure and circuit design are well aligned. In directional classification, hybrid quantum neural networks surpass the parameter-matched ANN by \textbf{+3.8 AUC} and \textbf{+3.4 accuracy points} on \texttt{AAPL} stock and by \textbf{+4.9 AUC} and \textbf{+3.6 accuracy points} on Turkish stock \texttt{KCHOL}. In live trading, the QLSTM achieves higher risk-adjusted returns in \textbf{two of four} S&P500 regimes. For volatility forecasting, an angle-encoded QSVR attains the \textbf{lowest QLIKE} on \texttt{KCHOL} and remains within ∼0.02-0.04 QLIKE of the best classical kernels on \texttt{S&P500} and \texttt{AAPL}. Our benchmarking framework clearly identifies the scenarios where current QML architectures offer tangible improvements and where established classical methods continue to dominate.
Stock market forecasting remains one of the most computationally demanding tasks in financial engineering, requiring sophisticated models capable of processing nonlinear patterns, high-frequency volatility, and large volumes of time-series data. Recent advancements in quantum computing offer the potential to surpass classical machine learning (ML) by leveraging principles such as superposition and entanglement to accelerate learning and optimization. This paper conducts a comprehensive comparison between quantum machine learning (QML) models and classical deep learning architectures for stock price prediction, emphasizing the technological improvements and optimization of computational methods. Our analysis integrates insights from prior studies, including the application of quantum-enhanced Gramian Angular Fields with CNNs [2], shallow parameterized quantum circuits for market indicators [4], and hybrid quantum-classical algorithms tailored to finance [1]. Experimental evaluation (using IBM Qiskit's quantum simulators and real hardware) demonstrates competitive performance of quantum neural networks (QNNs) against state-of-the-art recurrent neural networks (RNNs) and long short-term memory (LSTM) architectures [3]. Across AAPL/MSFT and short horizons, compact QNNs match strong LSTM baselines while using an order of magnitude fewer parameters, and—critically—transfer from calibrated simulators to IBM hardware with marginal degradation after mitigation. This device-aware training/evaluation loop exemplifies a deployable path for financial QML under realistic noise and resource constraints and motivates standardized, time-series-aware testing for the community. Results highlight the engineering value of quantum acceleration in feature encoding, the research novelty of hybrid ensemble strategies, and the future scope of benchmarking across leading quantum computing machines such as IBM, Google Sycamore, Rigetti, IonQ, and Xanadu.
Quantum machine learning (QML) is a cross-disciplinary subject made up of two of the most exciting research areas: quantum computing and classical machine learning (ML), with ML and artificial intelligence (AI) being projected as the first fields that will be impacted by the rise of quantum machines. Quantum computers are being used today in drug discovery, material & molecular modelling and finance. In this work, we explore emerging research areas in the application of hybrid classical quantum machine learning (QML) in finance. We focus on hybrid classical-quantum models that have gained significant interest in the financial world for various applications. We utilise a real-world cryptocurrency dataset to train a quantum generative adversarial networks (qGAN), and implement the real-life NVIDIA stock price data on quantum LSTM (QLSTM), comparing its performance with classical Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) model. Additionally, we investigate the application of quantum circuit Born machine (QCBM) using a toy dataset for applications in finance. For the qGAN, we define quantum circuits for generators and showcase the potential for future quantum advantage in finance through QML, possibly in combination with QLSTM and QCBM. Our findings suggest that, while training classical data is more efficient on LSTM, the test predictions of QLSTM is slightly superior to its classical counterpart making it a promising candidate for financial forecasting and analysis for timeseries type data.
Financial markets undergo rapid oscillations driven by several volatile causes, necessitating expedited and precise models for risk evaluation and market trend forecasting. Classical models encounter computational constraints when examining high-dimensional, nonlinear datasets. This study seeks to use Quantum Machine Learning (QML) methodologies to expedite risk evaluation and improve volatility forecasting for various financial instruments in real-time settings. The unique contribution of this work is the integration of quantum machine learning with financial risk assessment, leveraging quantum parallelism and kernelized feature spaces to improve the accuracy of market volatility prediction. This framework not only enhances computational efficiency compared to classical models but also provides a scalable foundation for real-time financial decision-making. The system employs Kaggle-style datasets including CME futures, Microsoft (MSFT), Amazon (AMZN), HRB, and historical data from the Dow Jones (DJI). Essential metrics including Open, Close, High, Low, Volume, Volatility Index, and Price Returns were retrieved. A hybrid pipeline combining conventional preprocessing with quantum-enhanced classifiers, including variational quantum circuits, was developed using the Qiskit and Pennylane frameworks. The QML-based model had a prediction accuracy of 95.2% in risk categorization and market direction forecasting, exceeding traditional standards. Quantum models provide significant benefits in velocity and scalability for financial analytics, enabling real-time risk assessment and strategic investment analysis.
The growing complexity, interdependencies, and rapid fluctuations inherent in modern financial markets create substantial challenges for accurate forecasting, portfolio optimization, and risk management. Conventional machine learning techniques, while powerful, often face limitations in capturing nonlinear relationships and processing high-dimensional datasets efficiently. Quantum machine learning (QML) has emerged as a promising paradigm that leverages quantum computing principles to enhance predictive modeling in finance. This study presents a comprehensive investigation into the application of QML methods—including variational quantum circuits, quantum kernel estimation, and quantum-enhanced support vector machines—for financial time-series prediction and asset price classification. We propose a hybrid quantum-classical framework that integrates quantum feature mapping with classical optimizers to improve model expressiveness and convergence. Empirical experiments are conducted using historical stock market data and synthetic datasets to benchmark QML approaches against established classical models such as long short-term memory networks and gradient boosting machines. The results demonstrate that QML techniques can achieve superior prediction accuracy and lower computational latency under certain data regimes, particularly when dealing with small-to-medium-sized datasets and high feature correlations. Additionally, the study examines scalability considerations, hardware constraints of near-term quantum devices, and the interpretability of quantum model outputs in financial decision-making contexts. The findings underscore the transformative potential of quantum machine learning as an innovative tool for advancing predictive analytics in finance and provide practical insights into how financial institutions can begin integrating QML capabilities into their workflows.
The classification and regression of particle collision events constitute a persistent computational challenge in experimental high energy physics, where large volumes of simulated data must be processed with both speed and precision. This work carries out a systematic comparison of four classical machine learning architectures, support vector machines (SVM), artificial neural networks (ANN), convolutional neural networks (CNN), and long short-term memory (LSTM) networks against their quantum counterparts: quantum SVM (QSVM), quantum neural networks (QNN), quantum CNN (QCNN), and quantum LSTM (QLSTM). All models are trained on simulated proton-proton collision events with electron-positron and muon-antimuon final states from the CERN Open Data portal, using transverse-momentum components as input features and transverse-momentum magnitude as the regression target. Classical architectures, and in particular the CNN and LSTM, achieve marginally better quantitative performance under current hardware and dataset constraints. Quantum models, however, reach competitive accuracy with substantially fewer trainable parameters: the QCNN reproduces the performance of the deep classical CNN using only four qubits and a circuit of depth three, pointing to a genuine parameter-efficiency advantage on near-term quantum devices. A baseline analysis confirms that the regression problem is non-trivial for shallow polynomial fits, supporting the relevance of the architectural comparison. These results characterize the trade-offs between classical and quantum approaches under realistic, resource-constrained conditions and provide a benchmark for future studies on actual quantum hardware.
Financial markets generate complex, high-dimensional time series characterized by nonlinearity, noise, and structural uncertainty, posing persistent challenges for classical machine learning and statistical forecasting models. This paper examines quantum machine learning (QML) architectures for stock market forecasting, anomaly detection, and pattern recognition in financial time series. By leveraging quantum phenomena such as superposition, entanglement, and quantum-enhanced feature spaces, QML models offer new computational paradigms for capturing intricate market dynamics and latent structures. The study synthesizes recent advances in quantum neural networks, variational quantum circuits, and hybrid quantum–classical models, evaluating their applicability to predictive modeling and risk-sensitive detection tasks in finance. The paper argues that QML architectures have the potential to complement classical approaches by improving representational capacity and scalability for complex financial data, while also outlining current technical limitations and research directions necessary for practical deployment.