Reinforcement Learning for Trading Strategies (Coursera)

Offered by New York University,
Reinforcement Learning for Trading Strategies (Coursera)

This course aims at introducing the fundamental concepts of Reinforcement Learning (RL), and develop use cases for applications of RL for option valuation, trading, and asset management.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

By the end of this course, students will be able to

  • Use reinforcement learning to solve classical problems of Finance such as portfolio optimization, optimal trading, and option pricing and risk management.
  • Practice on valuable examples such as famous Q-learning using financial problems.
  • Apply their knowledge acquired in the course to a simple model for market dynamics that is obtained using reinforcement learning as the course project.

Prerequisites are the courses "Guided Tour of Machine Learning in Finance" and "Fundamentals of Machine Learning in Finance". Students are expected to know the lognormal process and how it can be simulated. Knowledge of option pricing is not assumed but desirable.
Course 3 of 4 in the Machine Learning and Reinforcement Learning in Finance Specialization.

Syllabus

WEEK 1: MDP and Reinforcement Learning
WEEK 2: MDP model for option pricing: Dynamic Programming Approach
WEEK 3: MDP model for option pricing - Reinforcement Learning approach
WEEK 4: RL and INVERSE RL for Portfolio Stock Trading

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Computational Neuroscience (Coursera) Coursera
University of Washington

Computational Neuroscience (Coursera)

This course provides an introduction to basic computational methods for understanding what nervous systems do and for determining how they function. We will explore the computational principles governing various aspects of vision, sensory-motor control, learning, and memory. Specific topics that will be covered include representation of information by spiking neurons, processing of information in neural networks, and algorithms for adaptation and learning.

Sep 14th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Epidemics (Coursera) Coursera
University of Hong Kong

Epidemics (Coursera)

“If history is our guide, we can assume that the battle between the intellect and will of the human species and the extraordinary adaptability of microbes will be never-ending.” Despite all the remarkable technological breakthroughs that we have made over the past few decades, the threat from infectious diseases has significantly accelerated. In this course, we will learn why this is the case by looking at the fundamental scientific principles underlying epidemics and the public health actions behind their prevention and control in the 21st century.

Sep 14th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Legal Contracts and Agreements for Entrepreneurs (Coursera) Coursera
University of Maryland, College Park

Legal Contracts and Agreements for Entrepreneurs (Coursera)

This course focuses on how legal contracts may impact or impede the success of aspiring and active entrepreneurs. We explore a wide variety of legal considerations, including: * What types of legal contracts and agreements are appropriate for which entrepreneurial activities and actions? * What is the role of torts, liability, and negligence in creating and managing products and services? * How should contracts and sales agreements be created, evaluated, and negotiated? * What legal considerations are applicable when raising financial capital?

Sep 7th 2026
4 Weeks
Fundamentals of Machine Learning in Finance (Coursera) Coursera
New York University Tandon School of Engineering

Fundamentals of Machine Learning in Finance (Coursera)

The course aims at helping students to be able to solve practical ML-amenable problems that they may encounter in real life that include: (1) understanding where the problem one faces lands on a general landscape of available ML methods, (2) understanding which particular ML approach(es) would be most appropriate for resolving the problem, and (3) ability to successfully implement a solution, and assess its performance.

Sep 14th 2026
4 Weeks
La gestión de los riesgos y la administración de los cambios en el proyecto (Coursera) Coursera
University of California, Irvine,Tecnológico de Monterrey

La gestión de los riesgos y la administración de los cambios en el proyecto (Coursera)

En este curso, aprenderás a manejar el riesgo del proyecto mediante la identificación, el análisis y la comunicación de los cambios inevitables. En cualquier proyecto pueden suceder imprevistos. Después de este curso, podrás describir y aplicar los elementos necesarios para medir e informar sobre el alcance del proyecto, el cronograma y los costos. Te equiparemos con las herramientas necesarias para gestionar el cambio de la forma menos perjudicial posible para tu equipo y otros interesados en el proyecto.

Sep 7th 2026
4 Weeks
A General Approach to Risk Management (Coursera) Coursera
University System of Georgia

A General Approach to Risk Management (Coursera)

Every organization uses its information to support its business operations. When there are threats in the internal and external environments, they create the risk of information loss or damage. This course examines the design and construction of a risk management program, including policies and plans, to support the identification and treatment of risk to the organization’s information assets.

Sep 7th 2026
5-12 Weeks
What is Corruption: Anti-Corruption and Compliance (Coursera) Coursera
University of Pennsylvania

What is Corruption: Anti-Corruption and Compliance (Coursera)

Have you ever paid someone for doing you a favor? You may be accustomed to tipping wait staff or other service providers, but what if you paid a police officer for NOT issuing a parking ticket? Or if you gave a “gift” to a government official for signing a contract with your company? Tipping might be okay, but paying a bribe is a violation of the law. Bribery is widespread and exists almost everywhere and in many forms. Compliance programs address this and other forms of corruption.

Sep 7th 2026
4 Weeks
Portfolio Selection and Risk Management (Coursera) Coursera
Rice University

Portfolio Selection and Risk Management (Coursera)

When an investor is faced with a portfolio choice problem, the number of possible assets and the various combinations and proportions in which each can be held can seem overwhelming. In this course, you’ll learn the basic principles underlying optimal portfolio construction, diversification, and risk management. You’ll start by acquiring the tools to characterize an investor’s risk and return trade-off. You will next analyze how a portfolio choice problem can be structured and learn how to solve for and implement the optimal portfolio solution. Finally, you will learn about the main pricing models for equilibrium asset prices.

Sep 7th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Introduction to Financial Engineering and Risk Management (Coursera) Coursera
Columbia University

Introduction to Financial Engineering and Risk Management (Coursera)

Introduction to Financial Engineering and Risk Management course belongs to the Financial Engineering and Risk Management Specialization and it provides a fundamental introduction to fixed income securities, derivatives and the respective pricing models. The first module gives an overview of the prerequisite concepts and rules in probability and optimization. This will prepare learners with the mathematical fundamentals for the course.

Sep 7th 2026
5-12 Weeks