This Technology Review article discusses the role of 'quants' or financial engineers in the 2007 summer meltdown in the subprime credit market. It is also instructive to individual investors on the capabilities of highly automated professional traders and investment fund money managers.

Most individual investors just do not understand how "digitally deprived" they are. Investment portfolio self-assembly by individual investors versus investing in index mutual funds and index ETFs has become almost a ridiculously naive proposition. This article may help you to understand why.

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