Getting Started

Introduction to Quant Risk API

Quant Risk API is a portfolio risk calculation API that helps developers and applications estimate potential portfolio losses using historical market data and quantitative risk models.

What is Quant Risk API?

Quant Risk API is a quantitative portfolio risk API designed for developers, analysts, and applications that need to estimate potential portfolio losses.

You provide historical price data and define a portfolio. Quant Risk API processes the data and returns risk estimates such as Value at Risk (VaR), Conditional Value at Risk (CVaR), portfolio PnL quantiles, and distribution data.

The API is designed to make quantitative risk calculations easier to integrate into applications without requiring you to build the full risk modeling pipeline from scratch.

What Quant Risk API does

Quant Risk API accepts historical asset price data and portfolio parameters, then estimates potential portfolio losses using one or more quantitative risk models.

You provide

  • Historical price data
  • Portfolio composition
  • Portfolio value
  • Risk parameters

Quant Risk API processes

  • Historical observations
  • Asset relationships
  • Portfolio exposure
  • Risk model parameters

You receive

  • Value at Risk
  • Conditional VaR
  • PnL quantiles
  • Distribution data

How Quant Risk API works

Quant Risk API uses a simple two-step API workflow.

1

Upload historical data

Upload a CSV file containing historical price data for the assets you want to analyze.

POST /api/v1/risk/datasets/upload
↓
2

Receive a dataset ID

Quant Risk API returns a unique dataset identifier that represents the uploaded dataset.

dataset_id
↓
3

Define your portfolio

Specify the assets, portfolio weights, total portfolio value, confidence level, and time horizon for the risk calculation.

↓
4

Run a risk calculation

Choose a risk model and submit your portfolio configuration using the dataset ID.

POST /api/v1/risk/calculate
↓
5

Receive risk estimates

The API returns risk metrics and model-specific results that can be used in your application, dashboard, or quantitative workflow.

Supported risk models

Quant Risk API supports multiple approaches for estimating potential portfolio losses.

monte_carlo_normal

Monte Carlo Normal

Simulates potential portfolio outcomes using a multivariate normal distribution estimated from historical data.

monte_carlo_student_t

Monte Carlo Student's t

Simulates potential portfolio outcomes using a heavier-tailed distribution that can better represent more extreme market movements.

historical_simulation

Historical Simulation

Estimates potential portfolio outcomes directly from historical return observations.

all

You can request all supported risk models in a single calculation to compare their results.

Key concepts

Dataset

A dataset is a collection of historical price observations uploaded to Quant Risk API.

Each successful dataset upload returns a unique identifier:

dataset_id

Portfolio

A portfolio defines the assets and allocation weights used in a risk calculation.

{
  "portfolio": [
    {
      "symbol": "AAPL",
      "weight": 0.6
    },
    {
      "symbol": "BTC-USD",
      "weight": 0.4
    }
  ]
}

Risk calculation

A risk calculation combines the uploaded dataset with a portfolio configuration and risk parameters.

dataset+portfolio+portfolio value+risk model+confidence level+time horizon

Risk metrics

Depending on the selected model, Quant Risk API returns risk metrics and distribution data that describe potential portfolio outcomes.

  • Value at Risk (VaR)
  • Conditional Value at Risk (CVaR)
  • PnL quantiles
  • Portfolio distribution data

Who is Quant Risk API for?

Quant Risk API is designed for developers and teams that need portfolio risk calculations without building a complete quantitative risk engine from scratch.

  • Developers building financial applications
  • Portfolio analytics tools
  • Risk monitoring dashboards
  • Quantitative research projects
  • Internal financial analytics systems

Important limitations

Risk estimates are model-based estimates

Quant Risk API calculates quantitative estimates based on the historical data, portfolio configuration, and model assumptions provided to the API.

Results do not guarantee future performance or predict future market outcomes with certainty.

Data quality matters

The quality and relevance of the uploaded historical data can significantly affect the quality of the resulting risk estimates.

Next steps

Now that you understand how Quant Risk API works, continue with the Quick Start guide to upload your first dataset and run your first portfolio risk calculation.

Recommended next step

Follow the Quick Start guide to make your first Quant Risk API request.