Financial Sentiment Analysis and Classification: A Comparative Study of Fine-Tuned Deep Learning Models

Financial sentiment analysis is crucial for making informed decisions in the financial markets, as it helps predict trends, guide investments, and assess economic conditions. Traditional methods for financial sentiment classification, such as Support Vector Machines (SVM), Random Forests, and Logistic Regression, served as our baseline models. While somewhat effective, these conventional approaches often struggled to capture the complexity and nuance of financial language. Recent advancements in deep learning, particularly transformer-based models like GPT and BERT, have significantly enhanced sentiment analysis by capturing intricate linguistic patterns. In this study, we explore the application of deep learning for financial sentiment analysis, focusing on fine-tuning GPT-4o, GPT-4o-mini, BERT, and FinBERT, alongside comparisons with traditional models. To ensure optimal configurations, we performed hyperparameter tuning using Bayesian optimization across 100 trials. Using a combined dataset of FiQA and Financial PhraseBank, we first apply zero-shot classification and then fine tune each model to improve performance. The results demonstrate substantial improvements in sentiment prediction accuracy post-fine-tuning, with GPT-4o-mini showing strong efficiency and performance. Our findings highlight the potential of deep learning models, particularly GPT models, in advancing financial sentiment classification, offering valuable insights for investors and financial analysts seeking to understand market sentiment and make data-driven decisions.