The future of investing: Making more informed decisions with an AI-powered virtual trading assistant

MANY investors struggle to keep up with and effectively process the vast amount of market information available.

Going through financial reports takes time, and there is the added need to track stock price movements, valuations, as well as industry trends. While trading representatives can provide customers with market updates, there is still an overwhelming amount of information to filter.

For customers of OCBC Securities, this situation has now changed with the introduction of A.I. Oscar, an innovative artificial intelligence (AI)-powered virtual trading assistant. A.I. Oscar provides personalised stock ideas based on a customer’s trading history for the three most popular markets among Singaporean investors: Singapore, Hong Kong and the US. 

What is A.I. Oscar?

Using deep learning algorithms, A.I. Oscar mimics the thought processes of experienced OCBC Securities’ trading strategists as it analyses thousands of datasets and picks up market signals that could help identify stocks with potential short-term market movements.

A.I. Oscar, which stands for OCBC Securities Customer Artificial-Intelligence Radar, was developed in-house by OCBC’s Group Data Office and OCBC Securities’ trading strategists. 

“OCBC Securities used to create a handful of reports and trading ideas for customers each week. With A.I. Oscar, it is not an exaggeration to say that we can scale this up by adding a personalised touch in reports for customers based on their past trading activity with us,” says Samuel Wong, a trading strategist at OCBC who is part of the development team.

How investors can benefit from AI

Unlike older rule-based computer programmes that make decisions based on pre-set criteria, A.I. Oscar learns from experience and picks out possible market signals based on the interaction between different datasets.

OCBC Securities’ AI system currently generates a personalised list of 15 stock ideas for customers on a weekly basis based on their past trading behaviour. This list is available to customers on the iOCBC trading platform under “AI watchlist”. 

For example, an OCBC Securities customer who previously purchased airline shares may receive a push notification if A.I. Oscar detects potential market signals related to Singapore Airlines (SIA)¹. For this, A.I. Oscar will consider factors like share price movements, corporate announcements by SIA and competitors, and market updates on the aviation and tourism industries.¹

A typical report from A.I. Oscar will include charts showing recent share price movements, how the share compares with those of its competitors, and the consensus estimates and recommendations of financial analysts who cover the stock. For this, A.I. Oscar uses data provided by vendors such as LSEG Data & Analytics, formerly called Refinitiv.

Wilson He, managing director of OCBC Securities, says: “Investors already have access to a wide range of information, so the challenge lies in being able to find the information relevant to them and to distil it. Being able to do so quickly is especially important in today’s fast-paced world.”

He adds that customers will still have to do their own research and make their own judgments on trading and investments. 

Why trading platform matters

OCBC Securities – recently named Asiamoney’s Best Securities House 2023, Singapore, and Global Banking and Finance’s Most Innovative Trading Platform 2024 – aims to provide its customers with a wide range of services.

For instance, investors using OCBC Securities’ iOCBC trading platforms can place trades in over 15 different exchanges. Investors who are OCBC Bank customers can get a comprehensive snapshot of their financial position with the OCBC Digital app.

Besides A.I. Oscar, OCBC Securities customers can access analyst reports and a comprehensive range of trading tools to help them make more informed trading decisions.

“What OCBC Securities strives to do is retain a customer-centric mindset. The launch of A.I. Oscar is one of our biggest advancements in leveraging technology to empower our customers in making more informed trading decisions,” says He.

Learn more about A.I. Oscar and make better-informed trading decisions with OCBC Securities.

Footnotes

¹Securities referenced are for illustration purposes only and are not intended as recommendations to buy or sell any capital markets products.

Disclaimer

This advertisement has not been reviewed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

Trading in capital markets products and borrowing to finance transactions (including, but not limited to leveraged trading or gearing) can be very risky, and you may lose all or more than the amount invested or deposited. Where necessary, please seek advice from an independent financial adviser regarding the suitability of any trade or capital markets product, taking into account your investment objectives, financial situation, or particular needs before making a commitment to trade or purchase the capital markets product. In the event that you choose not to seek advice from a financial adviser, you should consider whether the capital markets product is suitable for you. You should carefully consider and exercise caution in making any trading decision whether or not you have received advice from any financial adviser.

The information provided herein is consolidated and extracted based on data derived from the market and your trading transactions performed through OCBC Securities Private Limited (“OCBC Securities”) and does not take into consideration your investment objectives, financial situation, and particular needs. Where any graph, chart, formula or device is included, there may be limitations and difficulties in respect of its use. Where any historical information is included, past performance is not necessarily indicative of future performance. OCBC Securities makes no representations or warranties (including as to the accuracy, timeliness or adequacy) in respect of any information provided herein, or in your personalised AI watchlist (generated based on demographic data and your trading history with OSPL), and it should not be relied upon as such. Such information should not be construed as personal trading recommendations or financial advisory in any manner from OCBC Securities. OCBC Securities does not undertake any obligation to update the information or to correct any inaccuracy that may become apparent at a later time. OCBC Securities shall not be responsible for any loss or damage howsoever arising, directly or indirectly, as a result of any person acting on any information provided herein.

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