Is modern portfolio theory due for an upgrade? Sixty years of real-world input is spawning new ideas from industry thinkers.

For instance? Investing, where modern portfolio theory is not very different in the way we apply it than it was when Dwight Eisenhower occupied the White House. How is that possible? Unlike Harry Markowitz when he was writing his seminal research, advisors today live in the Information Age. We know things Markowitz only suspected: that during normal markets, correlations among assets tend to move around unpredictably within a surprisingly tight spectrum of numbers, and then behave very differently whenever investors are paralyzed with fear or excited. Interestingly, the same is true about measures of investment volatility.

CLEVELAND - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Wednesday the central bank might need to ease monetary policy further if inflation or inflation expectations fall significantly. In his first public remarks since the Fed launched a fresh measure aimed at keeping down long-term borrowing costs, Bernanke indicated a willingness to push deeper into the realm of unconventional policy if economic growth remains anemic. "It is something that we're going to be watching very carefully," Bernanke said in response to questions from the audience at a forum sponsored by the Cleveland Fed.

ATHENS, Greece — Greece’s international debt inspectors were due back in Athens Thursday to resume their suspended review of the country’s reforms and determine whether to recommend the debt-struck nation receives the vital next installment of bailout loans. Officials from the International Monetary Fund, European Central Bank and European Commission, known as the troika, suspended their review earlier this month amid dissatisfaction over missed fiscal targets and delays in implementation of reforms the country must make to qualify for its bailout loans.

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration on Wednesday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to back the centerpiece of Barack Obama's sweeping healthcare overhaul -- the requirement that all Americans have health insurance. The appeal was largely expected as a high court ruling against the law could be a fatal blow to the president's signature domestic policy achievement and could have major implications for his re-election bid. The same day the administration filed its appeal, 26 states and a major business group urged the justices to strike down the entire law, which would have a far-reaching impact on future healthcare coverage for Americans and company costs.