A new generation of Internet-sifting financial software is creating a boom in technology that is offering high-speed robotlike assistance to portfolio managers. Though much of the trend is driven by the private sector, the government is also behind it, mainly in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s efforts to isolate data in financial reports using a standard called XBRL.
“If you wanted to know which firms have exposure to residential mortgages, this might be difficult to extract on a balance sheet or...