Market Manipulation: An Adversarial Learning Framework for Detection and Evasion

Market Manipulation: An Adversarial Learning Framework for Detection and Evasion

Xintong Wang, Michael P. Wellman

Proceedings of the Twenty-Ninth International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence
Special Track on AI in FinTech. Pages 4626-4632. https://doi.org/10.24963/ijcai.2020/638

We propose an adversarial learning framework to capture the evolving game between a regulator who develops tools to detect market manipulation and a manipulator who obfuscates actions to evade detection. The model includes three main parts: (1) a generator that learns to adapt original manipulation order streams to resemble trading patterns of a normal trader while preserving the manipulation intent; (2) a discriminator that differentiates the adversarially adapted manipulation order streams from normal trading activities; and (3) an agent-based simulator that evaluates the manipulation effect of adapted outputs. We conduct experiments on simulated order streams associated with a manipulator and a market-making agent respectively. We show examples of adapted manipulation order streams that mimic a specified market maker's quoting patterns and appear qualitatively different from the original manipulation strategy we implemented in the simulator. These results demonstrate the possibility of automatically generating a diverse set of (unseen) manipulation strategies that can facilitate the training of more robust detection algorithms.
Keywords:
AI for regulation: AI for financial fraud detection
Foundation for AI in FinTech: Deep learning and representation for FinTech
AI for regulation: AI for financial market regulation, design and policy implication
AI for regulation: AI for financial crime detection