Building Autonomous AI Agents with MCP: A Financial Market Research Bot

By: Anders Kiss Tags: LLM, AI-agent

How to create intelligent, autonomous agents that can research markets, analyze data, and provide insights across industries using the Model Context Protocol (MCP)


Key Dependencies

This project combines reliable Python libraries with the Model Context Protocol to deliver timely, factual market insights.

  • Market data and time: yfinance for quotes and history; pandas for processing; pandas-market-calendars for trading-day awareness; pytz for timezone correctness.
  • Messaging and scheduling: python-telegram-bot (v20+) for bot delivery and commands; APScheduler for cron-style execution.
  • Core utilities: requests for HTTP, python-dotenv for environment management, and built-in sqlite3 for lightweight caching and rate-limiting metadata.
  • Optional data sources: News via NewsAPI and U.S. Treasury yields via FRED.
  • MCP integration: The app targets the official MCP (Model Context Protocol) Python package ("mcp") for tool listing/calling over JSON‑RPC; when unavailable, it runs a simplified in‑process MCP server/client fallback within the codebase.

Together, these dependencies enable predictable scheduling, resilient delivery, and fast, contextual analyses over live market data. The stack is production-friendly, broadly supported, and easy to extend with new MCP tools or domain-specific APIs. If you deploy in containers, the same set works well in minimal images, and all packages had maintained releases as of September 2025.

Introduction

The world of AI is rapidly evolving beyond simple chatbots to truly autonomous agents that can think, plan, and execute complex tasks independently. I remember the first time I saw an AI agent autonomously research market data—it felt like watching a digital detective solve a mystery in real-time. The Model Context Protocol (MCP) represents a breakthrough in this evolution, enabling AI systems to seamlessly integrate with external tools and data sources while maintaining autonomous decision-making capabilities. It's like giving AI a Swiss Army knife that it can actually figure out how to use on its own.

In this article, we'll explore a real-world implementation of an autonomous AI agent built with MCP that specializes in financial market research. After months of building and testing this system, I can confidently say it's like having a financial analyst who never sleeps and has access to every data source imaginable. This agent demonstrates how MCP can be used to create intelligent systems that not only understand user queries but can autonomously select the right tools, gather data from multiple sources, and provide comprehensive insights. The first time I asked it "Why is the market acting weird today?" and it autonomously pulled news, analyzed sentiment, and correlated multiple data sources, I knew we had something special.

What is the Model Context Protocol (MCP)?

The Model Context Protocol is a standardized framework that enables AI models to interact with external tools and data sources in a structured, reliable way. Think of it as a universal translator between AI systems and the external world—except this translator is fluent in API-speak, database-ese, and the ancient art of "why won't this endpoint work?" debugging.

Key MCP Benefits:

  • Standardized Communication: Uses JSON-RPC 2.0 protocol for consistent tool calling
  • Tool Discovery: AI can discover and understand available tools dynamically
  • Autonomous Decision-Making: AI can select appropriate tools based on context
  • Extensibility: Easy to add new tools and capabilities
  • Type Safety: Proper schema validation and error handling

The Financial Market Research Agent

Our implementation showcases a sophisticated AI agent that combines multiple technologies. When I first started this project, I had no idea I'd end up with something that could autonomously research market conditions while I was still figuring out my morning coffee. The system has evolved from a simple data fetcher to a genuine digital research assistant that actually understands context and makes intelligent decisions.

Core Architecture

User Query → Agentive Engine → MCP Client → MCP Server → Data Sources
     ↓              ↓              ↓            ↓
Telegram Bot → Tool Selection → JSON-RPC → Official MCP
     ↓              ↓              ↓            ↓
Response ← Analysis ← Tool Results ← MCP Protocol

This architecture diagram looks more complex than my relationship with my morning alarm, but trust me, it works beautifully in practice.

Key Features

🤖 Autonomous Capabilities: - Automatically analyzes user queries to determine required data sources - Dynamically selects appropriate tools based on context - Maintains conversation memory and user preferences (it remembers your preferences better than I remember where I put my keys) - Processes natural language queries in plain English

🔧 MCP Server Implementation: - Market Data Tools: Real-time market data, options flow, volatility metrics - News & Sentiment Tools: Financial news search, social sentiment analysis - Analysis Tools: Correlation analysis, anomaly detection, insight generation - Economic Calendar: Economic events and data releases

📊 Enhanced Data Sources: - Yahoo Finance integration with intelligent caching - NewsAPI for financial news analysis - Social media sentiment scoring (because apparently Twitter knows more about market sentiment than some analysts) - FRED API for economic indicators - SQLite database for performance optimization

MCP Tools in Action

The agent implements 9 specialized MCP tools that demonstrate the protocol's power. I spent countless hours debugging these tools, and let me tell you, there's nothing quite like the satisfaction of watching an AI agent autonomously call the right API at the right time with the right parameters. It's like teaching a digital apprentice that actually listens to your instructions.

Market Data Tools

@mcp_tool
async def get_market_data(symbols: List[str], timeframe: str) -> Dict
    """Get real-time market data for specified symbols"""

@mcp_tool  
async def get_options_flow(symbol: str, expiry: str) -> Dict
    """Get options flow data for a symbol"""

@mcp_tool
async def get_volatility_metrics(symbol: str) -> Dict
    """Get volatility metrics for a symbol"""

News & Sentiment Tools

@mcp_tool
async def search_financial_news(query: str, timeframe: str) -> List[Dict]
    """Search for financial news articles"""

@mcp_tool
async def get_social_sentiment(symbol: str) -> Dict
    """Get social media sentiment for a symbol"""

@mcp_tool
async def get_economic_calendar(date_range: str) -> List[Dict]
    """Get economic calendar events"""

Analysis Tools

@mcp_tool
async def analyze_correlation(symbols: List[str]) -> Dict
    """Analyze correlation between multiple symbols"""

@mcp_tool
async def detect_anomalies(symbol: str, threshold: float) -> Dict
    """Detect anomalies in price data"""

@mcp_tool
async def generate_insights(data: Dict) -> str
    """Generate insights from market data"""

Real-World Usage Examples

The agent demonstrates true autonomous behavior through natural language interactions. The first time I asked it to explain why a stock was moving, and it autonomously pulled news, analyzed sentiment, checked options flow, and correlated multiple data sources—I felt like I had just witnessed the birth of digital financial intuition.

Natural Language Queries

User: "What's the current price of AAPL?"
Bot: 📊 Market Data for AAPL
     AAPL: $150.25 (+2.5%)

User: "Why is SPY dropping today?"
Bot: 📰 Latest News for: SPY dropping
     1. Market volatility concerns rise
     2. Federal Reserve policy uncertainty
     ...

User: "What's the sentiment around QQQ?"
Bot: 😊 Market Sentiment Analysis
     🟢 QQQ: Bullish (confidence: 75%, change: +1.2%)

User: "Analyze correlation between SPY and VXX"
Bot: 🔍 Market Analysis
     Correlation Analysis:
     • SPY-VXX: -0.85 (Strong)
     ...

Multi-Step Autonomous Research

Query: "Why is VIX dropping?"
→ Step 1: search_financial_news("VIX dropping", "24h")
→ Step 2: get_volatility_metrics("^VIX")
→ Step 3: analyze_correlation(["VIX", "SPY"])
→ Result: Comprehensive analysis with multiple data sources

This is like having a financial detective that never gets tired of following leads and actually finds the smoking gun.

Extensibility: Beyond Financial Markets

The MCP architecture makes this agent highly extensible to other industries. Here's how you could adapt it. I've been amazed at how easily the same core framework can be adapted—it's like having a universal translator that speaks the language of any industry, from fashion trends to longevity research.

Industry Adaptation Examples

The same MCP-first approach applies cleanly to other domains without UI or architectural upheaval. For example, you could add tools for supply‑chain signals, ESG reporting ingestion, or alternative data (shipping, web traffic, satellite imagery) and generate sector dashboards. Each capability becomes a new MCP tool with clear inputs/outputs, discoverable and invokable by the agentive engine.

Longevity Industry Adaptation

New MCP Tools for Longevity:

@mcp_tool
async def get_research_papers(topic: str, timeframe: str) -> List[Dict]
    """Search longevity research papers"""

@mcp_tool
async def analyze_biomarker_trends(biomarker: str) -> Dict
    """Track biomarker trends in longevity research"""

@mcp_tool
async def get_clinical_trial_data(condition: str) -> Dict
    """Get clinical trial data for longevity interventions"""

@mcp_tool
async def predict_intervention_effectiveness(intervention: str) -> Dict
    """Predict effectiveness of longevity interventions"""

Longevity-Specific Data Sources: - PubMed API for research papers (the academic equivalent of "trust me, I read it on the internet") - Clinical trial databases - Biomarker tracking platforms - Longevity research institutions - Health data APIs

How to Clone and Extend the App

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/Anderche/ai_agent_mcp_stocks.git
cd ai-agent-mcp-stocks

Fair warning: once you start building with MCP, you'll never look at simple chatbots the same way again. It's like going from a bicycle to a Tesla—both get you places, but one is significantly more autonomous.

2. Environment Setup

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Copy environment template
cp env_example.txt .env

3. Configure Your Environment

# Required
TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=your_telegram_bot_token
TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID=your_telegram_chat_id
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_anthropic_api_key

# Optional (for enhanced features)
NEWS_API_KEY=your_news_api_key
FRED_API_KEY=your_fred_api_key
EXTRA_TICKERS=AAPL,MSFT,GOOGL
TIMEZONE=US/Eastern

4. Run the Application

# Run enhanced market agent
python enhanced_market_agent.py

# Or run original agent
python market_agent.py

The first time you see your agent autonomously research market data, you'll understand why I spent so many late nights debugging API calls. It's worth every error message.

These times trigger existing summary methods: Open: market_open_summary (09:31); Intraday: mid_morning_summary (10:00, 10:30), midday_summary (12:00, 13:30, 14:50); Close: market_close_summary (15:59).

Try the Telegram Bot

You can try the live Telegram bot right now: ai_agent_mcp_stocks_bot.

Quick start: - Open the link above and tap “Start”. - Send /now to get an immediate market summary. - Ask natural language questions like “Why is SPY dropping?” or “What’s sentiment on QQQ?” - Try analysis prompts such as “Compare VIX and SVXY this week” or “Show today’s economic events.”

What to expect: - Concise, timestamped summaries at scheduled times. - Autonomous tool use (news, sentiment, volatility, correlation) to answer queries. - Clear takeaways and minimal noise.

Tip: Add the bot to a private group to share summaries with your team.

5. Extending for Your Industry

Step 1: Create New MCP Tools

Create a new file your_industry_mcp_server.py:

#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""
MCP Server for Your Industry
"""

class YourIndustryMCPServer:
    def __init__(self):
        self.init_database()
        self.session_memory = {}

    async def get_industry_data(self, category: str, timeframe: str) -> Dict:
        """Get industry-specific data"""
        # Implement your data fetching logic
        pass

    async def analyze_industry_trends(self, sector: str) -> Dict:
        """Analyze trends in your industry"""
        # Implement trend analysis
        pass

    async def get_industry_news(self, query: str) -> List[Dict]:
        """Get industry news and updates"""
        # Implement news fetching
        pass

Step 2: Update the Agentive Engine

Modify agentive_engine.py to include your industry tools:

class YourIndustryAgentiveEngine:
    def __init__(self):
        self.available_tools = [
            "get_industry_data",
            "analyze_industry_trends", 
            "get_industry_news",
            # Add your custom tools
        ]

    async def analyze_query(self, query: str) -> str:
        # Implement query analysis for your industry
        if "trend" in query.lower():
            return "analyze_industry_trends"
        elif "news" in query.lower():
            return "get_industry_news"
        # Add your custom logic

Step 3: Integrate Your Data Sources

# Add your data source integrations
class YourDataSources:
    def __init__(self):
        self.api_key = os.getenv('YOUR_API_KEY')

    async def fetch_data(self, endpoint: str, params: Dict) -> Dict:
        # Implement your API calls
        pass

Step 4: Update the Telegram Bot

Modify the bot to handle your industry-specific queries:

async def handle_industry_query(self, update: Update, context):
    query = update.message.text

    # Use your industry agentive engine
    tool_type = await self.industry_engine.analyze_query(query)
    response = await self.industry_engine.execute_research(query, tool_type)

    await update.message.reply_text(response)

Advanced Features

Caching and Performance

The agent implements intelligent caching. After implementing this system, I can confidently say that good caching is the difference between an agent that responds in milliseconds versus one that makes you question your life choices while waiting for API calls.

# SQLite database for caching
def init_database(self):
    conn = sqlite3.connect('financial_data.db')
    cursor = conn.cursor()
    cursor.execute('''
        CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS market_data (
            symbol TEXT,
            data TEXT,
            timestamp DATETIME,
            PRIMARY KEY (symbol, timestamp)
        )
    ''')

Error Handling and Resilience

async def call_tool_with_retry(self, tool_name: str, arguments: Dict, max_retries: int = 3):
    """Call tool with exponential backoff retry logic"""
    for attempt in range(max_retries):
        try:
            return await self.call_tool(tool_name, arguments)
        except Exception as e:
            if attempt == max_retries - 1:
                raise
            await asyncio.sleep(2 ** attempt)

This retry logic has saved me from more API failures than I care to admit. It's like having a digital assistant that never gives up, even when the internet is having a bad day.

Session Memory and Context

class SessionMemory:
    def __init__(self):
        self.user_sessions = {}

    def get_context(self, user_id: str) -> Dict:
        return self.user_sessions.get(user_id, {})

    def update_context(self, user_id: str, context: Dict):
        self.user_sessions[user_id] = context

Deployment Options

Railway Deployment

# Deploy to Railway
railway login
railway link
railway up

Docker Deployment

# Build and run with Docker
docker-compose up -d

Local Development

# Run in development mode
python enhanced_market_agent.py

Testing Your Extensions

Test Your MCP Tools

async def test_your_industry_tools():
    """Test your industry-specific MCP tools"""
    server = YourIndustryMCPServer()

    # Test data fetching
    data = await server.get_industry_data("your_category", "1d")
    assert data is not None

    # Test trend analysis
    trends = await server.analyze_industry_trends("your_sector")
    assert trends is not None

Test Your Agentive Engine

async def test_your_agentive_engine():
    """Test your industry agentive engine"""
    engine = YourIndustryAgentiveEngine()

    # Test query analysis
    tool_type = await engine.analyze_query("What are the latest trends?")
    assert tool_type == "analyze_industry_trends"

    # Test research execution
    result = await engine.execute_research("trends", "analyze_industry_trends")
    assert result is not None

Future Possibilities

The MCP framework opens up endless possibilities for autonomous AI agents. I've been dreaming about the applications—imagine an AI agent that can autonomously research any field, from healthcare to agriculture, with the same level of intelligence and context awareness.

Multi-Industry Agents

  • Healthcare: Patient monitoring, drug interaction analysis
  • Real Estate: Market analysis, property valuation
  • Education: Personalized learning, curriculum optimization
  • Agriculture: Crop monitoring, yield prediction
  • Energy: Grid optimization, renewable energy forecasting

Advanced Capabilities

  • Multi-Modal Analysis: Combine text, images, and data (because apparently AI can now understand memes better than some humans)
  • Predictive Modeling: Machine learning integration
  • Real-Time Adaptation: Dynamic tool selection
  • Cross-Industry Insights: Connect different domains

Conclusion

The Model Context Protocol represents a paradigm shift in AI agent development. By providing a standardized way for AI systems to interact with external tools and data sources, MCP enables the creation of truly autonomous agents that can think, plan, and execute complex tasks independently.

Our financial market research agent demonstrates how MCP can be used to create intelligent systems that not only understand user queries but can autonomously select the right tools, gather data from multiple sources, and provide comprehensive insights. The extensible architecture makes it easy to adapt this approach to any industry or domain.

Whether you're building agents for finance, fashion, longevity, or any other field, the MCP framework provides the foundation for creating intelligent, autonomous systems that can truly understand and interact with the world around them.

The future of AI is not just about better language models—it's about creating intelligent agents that can seamlessly integrate with the tools and data sources that matter to your domain. MCP makes this future accessible today. After building this system, I can't help but feel like we're standing at the edge of something revolutionary—and the best part is, you can start building it right now.


Ready to build your own autonomous AI agent? Clone the repository, follow the extension guide, and start creating intelligent systems that can think, plan, and execute across any industry or domain.