To the extent that this is true of other advanced economies, the global economy faces an extended multi year period of low growth, with residual downside risk coming from policy gridlock and mistakes in Europe, the US, and elsewhere. That scenario implies slower growth possibly 1 1.5 percentage points slower in developing countries, including China, again with a preponderance of downside risk.

This appears to be a low risk activity.

Under the Convention, the risk of third party litigation appears low.

It's like tapered to the downside.

Private borrowers often have to offer collateral, such as their houses. The collateral limits the lenders downside risk, and the fear of losing the pledged assets encourages borrowers to act prudently.

Though their loan recipients were high risk by ordinary standards, the default rate was extremely low.

Yes, companies have more hedging tools at their disposal. But the ability to manage downside risk comprehensively is still limited by incomplete longer term markets and public private partnerships that cannot be sufficiently leveraged.

Warren Buffet showed another way, in providing equity to Goldman Sachs. By issuing preferred shares with warrants (options), one reduces the public s downside risk and ensures that they participate in some of the upside potential.

The existing business model allows them to take the upside when they win, and hand over the downside to taxpayers when they lose. This encourages excessive risk and threatens repeated cycles of boom bust bailout.

So, that's the upside. The circular mill is the downside.

New ways to borrow and to spread risk seemed to have little downside. More competition for investment banking oligarchs from commercial bankers and insurance companies with deep pockets seemed likely to reduce the investment banking industry s unconscionable profits.

In the view of the Panel, such preserves are feasible, cost effective and pose a low risk of adverse impacts.

More broadly, we have lost sight of what banking is supposed to do. Banks play an essential role in all modern economies, but that role is not to assume a huge amount of risk, with the downside losses covered by society.

However, it seems that just because it's a 'low risk day' doesn't mean that you won't get pregnant from intravaginal ejaculation.

In the view of the Panel, such a preserve is feasible, cost effective and poses a low risk of adverse impacts.

Similarly, a potential downside to quantitative easing is that low interest rates send capital to higher growth, high interest rate countries. In theory, as capital floods in, these countries exchange rates will appreciate rapidly, making them look unattractive and automatically stemming the flow.

Although Mongolia is considered to have a low prevalence of HIV AIDS, a number of risk factors render the population potentially vulnerable.

Asians need not be pessimistic the perfect storm of a hard landing in China, a double dip recession in the United States, and a collapse of the eurozone is unlikely. But they cannot rule out the downside risk of a synchronized global downturn.

It's the downside correlation of their fortunes that will become more and more possible.

If people get discouraged by the situation there is a risk of low turnout in the second round of signature petition, said Salamanca.

The third group, led by Europe, will struggle, as continued economic stagnation fuels social and political disenchantment in some countries and complicates regional policy decisions. Anemic growth, deflationary forces, and pockets of excessive indebtedness will hamper investment, tilting the balance of risk to the downside.

First, just because the maximum elevation is low does not necessarily mean that the territory is at risk of being submerged by rising water levels.

Kuwait's risk assessment uses low , central , and high values for four input variables (background mortality, population, exposure concentration and concentration response coefficient) to characterize uncertainty.

He claims that he should be rewarded as a fund manager supervising a multibillion dollar fund in the private sector. But, whereas private sector professionals are fired or have their salaries reduced for poor performance, Yam wanted private sector pay with none of the downside risk.

When yields on risky bonds decline toward those on safe assets, it is fair to conclude, he argues, that someone is taking on excessive risk. The problem, then, is how to determine exactly when risk premiums are too low.

The relatively low interest rates on both short term and long term bonds are now causing both individual investors and institutional fund managers to assume duration risk and credit quality risk in the hope of achieving higher returns. That was the same risk strategy that preceded the financial crisis in 2008.

The United Kingdom and France are pressing hard for indirect military intervention supplying arms to the rebel side, in their view, would be a low cost, low risk, potentially high return option. And the European Union has now lifted its ban.

Some central banks began to raise interest rates pre emptively, albeit in small steps to counter the risk of potentially higher inflation in 2005, signalling the end of the low inflation, low interest rate environment of the last two years.

With its high value, relatively low bulk and ease of transport, easily disguised identity and origin and the potential to exploit the market demand unmet by restricted supplies, the caviar trade offers organized criminal groups a low risk, high profit activity.

The application of selective vector (transmitter insects) control should be in line with the epidemiological stratification of the country into high , moderate and low risk zones.

And even a tiny probability of catastrophe is unacceptable when the downside could be of global consequence.

Banks and investors consider them to be high risk due to their limited assets, low level or lack of collateral, lack of business history and market volatility.

Moreover, verbal intervention will be followed by policy action, because slower growth and low inflation partly triggered by a strong dollar will induce the Fed to exit zero policy rates later and more slowly than expected. That will reverse some of the dollar s recent gains and shield growth and inflation from downside risks.

(a) Risk of causing significant transboundary harm includes risks taking the form of a high probability of causing significant transboundary harm and a low probability of causing disastrous transboundary harm

An investment grade rating reflects the credit rating agencies' belief that the probability of payment of the bond is high and the financial risk associated with the investment is low.

First, they were trapped in a vicious circle of low income, low savings and low investment, leading to low productivity and low growth.

Low interest rates eventually jump started the expansion through a house price bubble that supported a debt financed consumer spending binge and triggered a construction boom. Meanwhile, prolonged low interest rates contributed to a chase for yield in the financial sector that resulted in disregard of credit risk.

In the absence of strong policies, it is too easy to think of scary scenarios in which depressed output and troubles in the financial system feed on each other, leading to further large drops in output. It is thus essential for governments to make clear that they will do everything to eliminate this downside risk.

The problem is that banks continue to offer big mortgages while having little of their own skin in the game. The IMF estimates that the average mortgage risk weight in Europe and Asia was 14 and 15 , respectively, with some banks using a risk weight as low as 6 .

In other words, banks take risks, get paid for the upside, and then transfer the downside to shareholders, taxpayers, and even retirees. In order to rescue the banking system, the Federal Reserve, for example, put interest rates at artificially low levels as was disclosed recently, it also has provided secret loans of 1.2 trillion to banks.

As consumers, firms, and investors become more cautious and risk averse, the equity market rally of the second half of 2012 has crested. And, given the seriousness of the downside risks to growth in advanced and emerging economies alike, the correction could be a bellwether of worse to come for the global economy and financial markets in 2013.

To me, attempting to discern the economic prospects for 2011 is not a particularly interesting question the answer is bleak, with little upside potential and a lot of downside risk. More importantly, how long will it take Europe and America to recover, and can Asia s seemingly export dependent economies continue to grow if their historical markets languish?

Within each region, factors such as convenient and accessible air transportation, good communication capacity, low security risk, political stability and acceptable infrastructure and amenities should be considered in locating regional and subregional centres.

Rainfall will lead to urban water logging and farmland water logging, so more focus should be on the drainage and defense work of high risk areas such as underpass bridges and low lying areas!

At the same time, deregulation and competitive forces in the energy industry have led to private sector research and development investment being redirected from longer term, basic research towards low risk, market oriented research.