Abstract: An automated method of managing or constructing a portfolio comprising at least one financial instrument defining portfolio attributes, the method using a system comprising a processor, a display and an input device. The method comprises defining at least one objective representing a desired state for the portfolio attributes and defining a set of constraints that are defined in relation to a computable, desired state of portfolio attributes in relation to the at least one objective. A constraints analysis module based upon the set of constraints is generated and provided to the processor. The portfolio is evaluated with the processor using the constraints analysis module and the state of the portfolio attributes based upon the evaluation is displayed. At least one option for altering portfolio attributes in order to more effectively meet the at least one objective is simultaneously displayed.

Abstract: An automated method of managing or constructing a portfolio comprising at least one financial instrument defining portfolio attributes, the method using a system comprising a processor, a display and an input device. The method comprises defining at least one objective representing a desired state for the portfolio attributes and defining a set of constraints that are defined in relation to a computable, desired state of portfolio attributes in relation to the at least one objective. A constraints analysis module based upon the set of constraints is generated and provided to the processor. The portfolio is evaluated with the processor using the constraints analysis module and the state of the portfolio attributes based upon the evaluation is displayed. At least one option for altering portfolio attributes in order to more effectively meet the at least one objective is simultaneously displayed.

Abstract: Techniques for generating sophisticated representations of the contents of both queries and documents in a retrieval system by using natural language processing (NLP) techniques to represent, index, and retrieve texts at the multiple levels (e.g., the morphological, lexical, syntactic, semantic, discourse, and pragmatic levels) at which humans construe meaning in writing. The user enters a query and the system processes the query to generate an alternative representation, which includes conceptual-level abstraction and representations based on complex nominals (CNs), proper nouns (PNs), single terms, text structure, and logical make-up of the query, including mandatory terms. After processing the query, the system displays query information to the user, indicating the system's interpretation and representation of the content of the query. The user is then given an opportunity to provide input, in response to which the system modifies the alternative representation of the query.