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Machine learning, memory and efficiency in cryptocurrency markets

Machine learning, memory and efficiency in cryptocurrency markets
Machine learning, memory and efficiency in cryptocurrency markets

This paper empirically examines whether machine learning (ML) methods can capture long memory in the cryptocurrency markets. We design two tests to evaluate seven widely used ML regression algorithms and sequence-to-sequence (Seq2Seq) models to determine their ability to capture long-memory characteristics of financial data. Specifically, we assess their accuracy in estimating the fractional integration parameter d for both univariate and systemic memory. Additionally, we examine whether the predicted time series preserve the long-memory properties of the original cryptocurrency market data. Our findings reveal that most ML algorithms fail to handle long-memory series effectively, while models incorporating Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) and Attention-LSTM components exhibit superior performance. Whilst comparing models using Mean Squared Errors (MSE), we find that our tests identify models better for directional predictions. These results highlight the limitations of conventional ML mechanism for long-range dependence and position Seq2Seq models as a promising alternative for addressing the complex movements of cryptocurrency time series. Our approach can be readily extended, offering both academics and practitioners a systematic procedure for evaluating arbitrary ML models, thereby yielding insights not only into their generalization of performance but also into the interpretability of their capacity for long-term dependence.

Cryptocurrency, Long memory, Machine learning, Seq2Seq
1042-4431
Li, Shuyue
ec4a4d90-2d5b-44e3-bbcb-eb4bd188330c
Yarovaya, Larisa
2bd189e8-3bad-48b0-9d09-5d96a4132889
Mishra, Tapas
218ef618-6b3e-471b-a686-15460da145e0
Li, Shuyue
ec4a4d90-2d5b-44e3-bbcb-eb4bd188330c
Yarovaya, Larisa
2bd189e8-3bad-48b0-9d09-5d96a4132889
Mishra, Tapas
218ef618-6b3e-471b-a686-15460da145e0

Li, Shuyue, Yarovaya, Larisa and Mishra, Tapas (2025) Machine learning, memory and efficiency in cryptocurrency markets. Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, 105, [102210]. (doi:10.1016/j.intfin.2025.102210).

Record type: Article

Abstract

This paper empirically examines whether machine learning (ML) methods can capture long memory in the cryptocurrency markets. We design two tests to evaluate seven widely used ML regression algorithms and sequence-to-sequence (Seq2Seq) models to determine their ability to capture long-memory characteristics of financial data. Specifically, we assess their accuracy in estimating the fractional integration parameter d for both univariate and systemic memory. Additionally, we examine whether the predicted time series preserve the long-memory properties of the original cryptocurrency market data. Our findings reveal that most ML algorithms fail to handle long-memory series effectively, while models incorporating Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) and Attention-LSTM components exhibit superior performance. Whilst comparing models using Mean Squared Errors (MSE), we find that our tests identify models better for directional predictions. These results highlight the limitations of conventional ML mechanism for long-range dependence and position Seq2Seq models as a promising alternative for addressing the complex movements of cryptocurrency time series. Our approach can be readily extended, offering both academics and practitioners a systematic procedure for evaluating arbitrary ML models, thereby yielding insights not only into their generalization of performance but also into the interpretability of their capacity for long-term dependence.

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Accepted/In Press date: 19 August 2025
Published date: 19 August 2025
Additional Information: Publisher Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s)
Keywords: Cryptocurrency, Long memory, Machine learning, Seq2Seq

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 507032
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/507032
ISSN: 1042-4431
PURE UUID: c877f0c2-74fb-4d39-89d1-b6e9cb9aef33
ORCID for Shuyue Li: ORCID iD orcid.org/0009-0002-6671-7162
ORCID for Larisa Yarovaya: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-9638-2917
ORCID for Tapas Mishra: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-6902-2326

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Date deposited: 25 Nov 2025 17:55
Last modified: 26 Nov 2025 02:56

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