Disaster ahead: A fear scorecard

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The Canadian economy finished 2010 on a stronger footing than expected, but economists remain on alert, praying a firm global economic recovery will take hold before the next crisis hits. Threats from black swan events, such as the BP oil spill that threatened to derail the world’s largest economy last year, can never be predicted — which is just as well. After all, when it comes to what could happen in 2011, there are already enough major risks on the radar to keep central bankers up at night. In this gallery, we rank the biggies.

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Risk rating system:

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rn SEVERE rn

rn HIGH rn

rn ELEVATED rn

rn GUARDED rn

rn LOW rn

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By Tom Watson and Matthew McClearn. Photography by Getty Images/Magic Torch. rn rn rn

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