Financial Engineering
E-ISSN: 2945-1140
Volume 2, 2024
Financial Report Sentiment Analysis Using Loughran-mcdonald Dictionary and BERT
Authors: ,
Abstract: In the ever-changing world of financial markets, understanding investor behavior and making informed
decisions relies heavily on sentiment analysis. This study delves into the integration of traditional techniques, such as the
Loughran- McDonald dictionary, with advanced natural language processing (NLP) methods utilizing BERT (Bidirectional
Encoder Representations from Transformers). The goal is to enhance the accuracy and depth of sentiment analysis in
financial reports.To begin, we employ the specialized Loughran-McDonald dictionary designed for financial sentiment
analysis. This lexicon includes domainspecific word lists for positive and negative sentiments, forming a solid foundation
for sentiment scoring. Expanding on this foundation, we incorporate BERT, an advanced transformerbased NLP model.
BERT’s contextual understanding of language and ability to capture intricate semantic relationships within financial texts
aim to overcome the limitations of rule-based sentiment analysis. The methodology involves preprocessing financial
reports, integrating Loughran-McDonald sentiment scores, and fine-tuning BERT for financial sentiment classification.
This hybrid approach leverages both the domain expertise encoded in the dictionary and BERT’s contextual comprehension
of financial jargon and nuances. We validate and evaluate our implementation using a diverse dataset comprising quarterly
earnings releases, annual reports, and other relevant disclosures. Performance metrics such as precision, recall, and F1
score are analyzed to assess the effectiveness of our hybrid approach compared to individual methods. The findings have
significant implications for financial analysts, investors, and policymakers by providing a more nuanced understanding of
sentiment in financial reports. Our hybrid approach aims to offer improved accuracy in capturing sentiment polarity while
facilitating more informed decision-making in today’s complex and dynamic realm of financial markets.
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Keywords: Lexicon-based Analysis, Sentiment Analysis, Financial Reports Loughran-McDonald, BERT, Natural
Language Processing (NLP)
Pages: 162-170
DOI: 10.37394/232032.2024.2.15