ABIDES-MARL: A Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning Environment for Endogenous Price Formation and Execution in a Limit Order Book

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ABIDES-MARL: A Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning Environment for Endogenous Price Formation and Execution in a Limit Order Book

Patrick Cheridito
Jean-Loup Dupret
Zhexin Wu
Published on 11/3/2025
Equities
Multi-Agent
Reinforcement learning
Machine learning
High frequency trading
Market timing

The paper presents ABIDES-MARL, a multi-agent reinforcement learning environment designed for studying endogenous price formation and execution in limit order book markets. Built on the ABIDES framework, the environment simulates a continuous double auction market where heterogeneous agents (e.g., market makers, momentum traders, mean reversion traders) interact via reinforcement learning. The key contribution is the integration of MARL with a realistic LOB simulator, enabling the emergence of complex market phenomena without exogenous price processes. The authors demonstrate that agents learn adaptive strategies, leading to realistic spread clustering, volatility clustering, and other stylized facts. The environment also allows benchmarking of execution algorithms, providing insights into market impact and liquidity dynamics. This work bridges the gap between agent-based modeling and reinforcement learning for financial market simulation.

Highlights

  • 1Introduces ABIDES-MARL, a multi-agent reinforcement learning environment for limit order book markets.
  • 2Models endogenous price formation through interactions of heterogeneous trading agents.
  • 3Provides a configurable platform for studying market dynamics and execution strategies.
  • 4Demonstrates emergent market phenomena such as spread clustering and volatility clustering.

Methods

  • M
    Multi-agent reinforcement learning (MARL) with independent Q-learning agents.
  • M
    Limit order book (LOB) simulation based on the ABIDES framework.
  • M
    Heterogeneous agent modeling with different trading strategies (e.g., market making, momentum, mean reversion).

Results

  • R
    Agents learn to adapt their strategies, leading to realistic price formation.
  • R
    Emergent properties include spread clustering and volatility clustering similar to real markets.
  • R
    The environment supports benchmarking of execution algorithms like TWAP and VWAP.
  • R
    Market impact and liquidity dynamics are endogenously generated by agent interactions.
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