When Numbers Meet Narratives: How LLMs Reframe Quant Investing
In the world of quantitative investing, the line between data and story has long been clear. Numbers ruled the models; narratives belonged to the analysts. But the recent paper “Exploring the Synergy of Quantitative Factors and Newsflow Representations from Large Language Models for Stock Return Prediction” from RAM Active Investments argues that this divide is no longer useful—or profitable. Beyond Factors: Why Text Matters Quantitative factors—valuation, momentum, profitability—are the pillars of systematic investing. They measure what can be counted. But markets move on what’s talked about, too. Corporate press releases, analyst notes, executive reshuffles—all carry signals that often precede price action. Historically, this qualitative layer was hard to quantify. Now, LLMs can translate the market’s chatter into vectors of meaning. ...