Recurrent support vector regression for a non-linear ARMA model with applications to forecasting financial returns

Motivated by recurrent neural networks, this paper proposes a recurrent support vector regression (SVR) procedure to forecast nonlinear ARMA model based simulated data and real data of financial returns. The forecasting ability of the recurrent SVR based ARMA model is compared with five competing models (random walk, threshold ARMA model, MLE based ARMA model, recurrent artificial neural network based ARMA model and feed-forward SVR based ARMA model) by using two forecasting accuracy evaluation metrics (NSME and sign) and robust Diebold–Mariano test. The results reveal that for one-step-ahead forecasting, the recurrent SVR model is consistently better than the benchmark models in forecasting both the magnitude and turning points, and statistically improves the forecasting performance as opposed to the usual feed-forward SVR.