Has anyone come across this Functional Analysis application - and where can I get the software?

Question

I am now retired but once / still hold a B.Sc. in Physics (Lond) so should be able to grasp the technicalities of FA. About 20 years back I was employed as Consultancy Manager for a international Consulting Firm who employed a number of Maths graduates. I was shown some software that was (a) strictly confidential, and (b) written for a specific global client manufacturer. After 20 years has passed, I feel it is reasonable for me to ask the following generic question. What the application did was to accept a dataset, not large, showing independent variables related to a key vector. The software produced output along the lines of - Nxp +/-/// My*q etc. etc. = maximum (or minimum) value of the vector i.e. it showed the mathematical relationships giving rise to the variables and the maximisation of the single vector. It seemed to me that this software would have been able to analyse independent variables e.g. for Stocks and Shares, show the relationships, and enable the user to make decisions on the most probable rises or falls in the vector e.g. profit. In other words get an automated indicator as to what shares to buy or sell and when. Does anyone know of such an application, which I would expect today be commonplace? And if so, is there free software available (I am an impecunious pensioner) or if not, can anyone point me to someone such as SPSS or other company who might offer chargeable and relevant software? Thanks for your interest in reading this far, and thank you again should you wish to respond and steer. Thank you.