With markets gone mad, investors find rare comfort in data science

The Phillips Curve is in doubt, the bond market is distorted and a tweet from President Donald Trump can shift the trajectory of global markets in a matter of seconds.

In a world where traditional touchstones of fund strategies are being challenged by unprecedented economic-policy uncertainty, investors are seeking information not tapped before or better ways to sift through it. Some are stepping up the use of machine-learning to capture market sentiment on everything from the trade war to recessions. Whether these strategies are more effective than conventional methods remains to be seen, but they’re already paying off for some funds.