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Harry M. Markowitz, who received a Nobel Prize in Economics for his work in 1990, developed the theory of portfolio optimization, on which all modern portfolio theories are based, as early as 1952. The main aim of portfolio optimization is to analyze the risk of every stock and minimize it through diversification. Equity risk is divided into two components: specific and systematic risk. Specific risk is the component of an asset's volatility that is
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uncorrelated with general market moves, while systematic risk is the risk of taking part in the overall market. As the market moves every security is more or less affected.
The specific risk of a given portfolio can be eliminated by diversification (meaning the right combination of different stocks within the portfolio) thus reducing the overall risk by about 70%.
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