Sentiment Beta in China
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Quant Buffet native backtest IDEEdit and run Quant Buffet Python for Sentiment Beta in China in the browser. Results update live with equity, drawdown, and metrics charts. Allowed: backtest.data, backtest.engine, backtest.metrics, numpy, pandas. Define ASSETS and make_on_day(prices). Shortcut: Ctrl+Enter. API docs →
Quant Buffet syntax cheat sheet (copy / insert)
Paste these fragments into the editor. The sandbox rejects QuantConnect, os, and network libraries.
from __future__ import annotations
import numpy as np
import pandas as pd
from backtest.data import load_daily_prices
from backtest.engine import EngineConfig, PortfolioEngine
from backtest.metrics import compute_metricsASSETS = ["SPY", "QQQ", "TLT", "GLD", "BIL"]def make_on_day(prices: pd.DataFrame):
cols = [c for c in ASSETS if c in prices.columns]
sma = prices[cols].rolling(200, min_periods=200).mean()
state = {"last": None}
def on_day(engine: PortfolioEngine, dt: pd.Timestamp) -> None:
if sma.loc[dt].isna().all():
return
key = (dt.year, dt.month)
if state["last"] == key:
return
state["last"] = key
long = [
s for s in cols
if pd.notna(prices.at[dt, s]) and pd.notna(sma.at[dt, s])
and prices.at[dt, s] > sma.at[dt, s]
]
weights = {} if not long else {s: 1.0 / len(long) for s in long}
engine.set_target_weights(dt, weights)
ready = sma.dropna(how="all").index.min() if sma.notna().any().any() else None
return on_day, readyengine.set_target_weights(dt, {"SPY": 0.60, "BIL": 0.40})Live backtest performance
Export to your platform
Transform Quant Buffet lab code (ASSETS + make_on_day / PortfolioEngine) into native classes for a third-party IDE — then copy and paste.
# Generated from Quant Buffet → QuantConnect LEAN
# Strategy: Sentiment Beta in China
# Detected pattern: Momentum rotation
# Source uses Quant Buffet lab APIs (ASSETS + make_on_day / PortfolioEngine).
# Review fees, data, and risk before live trading — educational export only.
from AlgorithmImports import *
class QuantBuffetExport(QCAlgorithm):
def Initialize(self):
self.SetStartDate(2010, 1, 1)
self.SetCash(100000)
tickers = ["SPY", "TLT", "GLD", "BIL"]
self.symbols = []
for t in tickers:
if "-" in t: # crypto proxy e.g. BTC-USD
self.symbols.append(self.AddCrypto(t.replace("-USD", ""), Resolution.Daily).Symbol)
else:
self.symbols.append(self.AddEquity(t, Resolution.Daily).Symbol)
self.Schedule.On(
self.DateRules.MonthStart(self.symbols[0]),
self.TimeRules.AfterMarketOpen(self.symbols[0], 30),
self.Rebalance,
)
# Logic: Hold top 1 by 126-day return; monthly.
def Rebalance(self):
scores = {}
for symbol in self.symbols:
hist = self.History(symbol, 126 + 5, Resolution.Daily)
if hist.empty: continue
close = hist["close"]
if hasattr(close, "unstack"):
close = close.unstack(level=0).iloc[:, 0]
if len(close) < 126 + 1: continue
scores[symbol] = float(close.iloc[-1] / close.iloc[-126 - 1] - 1)
ranked = sorted(scores.items(), key=lambda kv: kv[1], reverse=True)[:1]
for symbol in self.symbols:
self.SetHoldings(symbol, 0)
if ranked:
w = 1.0 / len(ranked)
for symbol, _ in ranked:
self.SetHoldings(symbol, w)
Exported code uses the platform’s native classes and libraries. Install dependencies in your third-party IDE, then run. Validate before live trading.
Academic paper
Sentiment Beta, and Asset Prices: Evidence from China
Fengjiao Lin; Zhigang Qiu
- Renmin University of China
- ?Renmin University of China - School of Finance
- ?School of Finance, Renmin University of China
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3941220
Strategy in a nutshell
The investment universe comprises China A-Share stocks. Sentiment beta is estimated through a time-series regression (section 2.2 of the reference paper) using the following explanatory variables:
Market factor
Size factor
Value factor
Momentum factor
CICSI sentiment index
For each stock and each month, sentiment beta is defined as the regression coefficient on the sentiment index. Regressions are run on a rolling 36-month window, requiring at least 24 valid observations.
Stocks are then ranked by their sentiment beta and sorted into quintiles. The strategy goes long the lowest-quintile stocks and short the highest-quintile stocks, forming a value-weighted portfolio. Portfolios are rebalanced monthly.
Economic rationale
Unlike developed Western markets, the Chinese stock market is heavily dominated by retail investors, who often trade on sentiment rather than fundamentals. This structural feature creates opportunities for sentiment-driven anomalies.
The CICSI sentiment index provides a systematic way to capture investor mood and its effect on stock returns. Stocks with low sentiment beta are less sensitive to swings in investor sentiment and are therefore more resilient, while high-sentiment-beta stocks are more exposed to irrational retail-driven overreaction.
By systematically going long low-sentiment-beta stocks and shorting high-sentiment-beta stocks, the strategy exploits these inefficiencies. Profitability arises because sentiment shocks distort prices in predictable ways, which can be harvested by disciplined, factor-aware investors.